The year 2019 featured several distinct promotional initiatives by Epic Games to reward players of Fortnite through free cosmetic items and in-game content. These freebies were distributed through various methods, including limited-time in-game events, platform-specific partnerships, and as apologies for service communication errors. The promotions primarily focused on cosmetic enhancements, such as outfits, gliders, and pickaxes, which offered no gameplay advantages but allowed players to customize their avatars. Participation typically required active engagement with the game during specific windows, such as daily logins or challenge completion, and in some cases, ownership of third-party subscriptions like PlayStation Plus.
In-Game Winterfest Event and Daily Rewards
During the holiday season, Epic Games hosted the "Winterfest 2019" event, which provided a substantial volume of free content to all players. The event ran from December 18, 2019, to January 7, 2020, spanning a three-week period rather than the traditional two-week duration implied by the "fortnight" terminology. Access to the event rewards was managed through a dedicated "Winterfest Lodge" interface, accessible via a snowflake tab in the game lobby.
The core mechanic of the Winterfest event involved the daily opening of presents. Players were able to open one present per day over a 14-day period. The event design acknowledged that players might miss days due to holiday travel; consequently, the system allowed players to return and open any missed presents at any point before the event concluded on January 7. The rewards available through these presents were comprehensive and included:
- Two Outfits
- Two Gliders
- Two Pickaxes
- Two Wraps
- One Emote
In addition to the presents, the Winterfest Lodge featured a hanging stocking. Interacting with the stocking granted players a new daily challenge. Completing these challenges provided additional rewards and experience points (XP). The event also facilitated the return of popular Limited-Time Modes (LTMs), including Wick’s Bounty and Arsenal, which were available between the event dates and shortly thereafter, with Zone Wars running throughout the holiday period.
PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack
Epic Games utilized a partnership with Sony to distribute a free promotional pack specifically to Fortnite players on the PlayStation 4 platform who maintained an active PlayStation Plus subscription. This offer was distinct from the in-game events and was managed through the PlayStation Store infrastructure.
The "PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack for Fortnite Battle Royale" contained two cosmetic items: a custom glider and an outfit. Both items featured the blue and white color scheme associated with PlayStation branding. The pack was listed as available for a limited time, with a specific claim deadline set for February 2019. This promotion highlighted the strategy of cross-platform giveaways tied to third-party subscription services to incentivize platform-specific engagement.
Compensation for the 14 Days of Fortnite Event Error
In early January 2019, Epic Games issued an apology and a compensation freebie to players regarding the "14 Days of Fortnite" event. The controversy arose because the event challenges expired earlier than the date communicated by Epic Games on social media channels. The company had indicated that players would have time after the conclusion of the 14 days of challenges to complete them, but this turned out to be inaccurate.
To rectify this communication error, Epic Games announced that they would distribute the final reward of the event—the Equalizer glider—to any player who had completed at least one of the event's challenges. This glider was characterized by a visual equalizer design and accompanying music deployed during gameplay. The distribution of this apology item was scheduled for the "near future" following the announcement, though an exact delivery date was not specified at the time.
Overview of Epic Games Store Features
While not directly a source of Fortnite freebies in the traditional sense, the Epic Games Store platform, which launched in 2018 and expanded significantly in 2019, established policies relevant to the broader ecosystem of free content. The store implemented several user-centric features that differentiated it from competitors. These included a ticket-based support system for technical issues, with developers encouraged to link to external forums like Reddit and Discord rather than hosting storefront-tied forums.
In terms of content discovery and user feedback, the store integrated OpenCritic information in January 2020 to provide critical review data on product pages. To combat review bombing, the store introduced a review system in June 2022 that utilized randomized polling of users. Regarding technical features, cloud saving was introduced on a limited, game-by-game basis in July 2019, with plans for broader expansion. Additionally, in December 2019, Epic allowed developers to implement in-game storefronts for microtransactions while retaining the option to use the Epic storefront.
The store also extended its "Support a Creator" program, originally launched within Fortnite Battle Royale, to other games on the store. This program allowed players to designate a streamer or content creator to support, based on an application process managed by Epic.
Conclusion
The freebies offered in Fortnite throughout 2019 demonstrated a multifaceted approach to player engagement. Through the Winterfest event, Epic Games delivered a high volume of daily cosmetic rewards accessible to the entire player base via a dedicated in-game interface. Simultaneously, platform-specific partnerships, such as the PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack, targeted specific hardware demographics. Finally, the resolution of the 14 Days of Fortnite event error illustrated a reactive approach to community management, utilizing direct distribution of promised rewards to rectify communication failures. These initiatives collectively focused on enhancing the cosmetic customization of the player experience without impacting gameplay balance.