Following the v11.30 Fortnite update back in December, data miners leaked an all-new ‘Annual Pass’ coming to the game – except it never did come. Instead, Epic scrapped the idea, but a new leak reveals what it would’ve looked like.
According to leaks, the Annual Pass would have included all upcoming 2020 battle passes, seven exclusive cosmetics, and would have cost 7,800 V-Bucks.
But, in a statement to FortniteINTEL, Epic Games confirmed the Annual Pass was not coming at all, and was simply a prototype feature.
“Occasionally prototype features make it into our build that end up not being released,” Epic said. “While the 2020 Annual Pass was considered, we have no plans to release it.”
The exact reason for the decision to scrap the Annual Pass was never revealed though, leaving players scratching their heads. The original leaks did not show what the pass would have looked like in-game, but it turns out Epic had already designed all of this too, before scrapping it.
In gameplay footage posted by Twitter user m1fnbr, the screen for purchasing the 2020 Annual Pass is shown, as well as the seven exclusive cosmetics.
https://twitter.com/m1fnbr/status/1239190459177676802
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Reliable Fortnite leaker ShiinaBR explains that players purchasing the Annual Pass would have received every battle pass for the year when they were released, in addition to the cosmetics.
This is how the Annual Pass 2020 feature was going to look like! You would have received every Battle Pass of the year (of course not instantly) + some exclusive cosmetics.
I still don’t understand why they scrapped this idea.
(via @m1fnbr & @amrsatrio)pic.twitter.com/e2tthK31DP
— ShiinaBR – Fortnite Leaks (@ShiinaBR) March 15, 2020
The reason for dropping the feature altogether remains a mystery. It’s unlikely Epic plan to release it later in the year, as many players will have already purchased the Season 2 battle pass in 2020.
Although, it is possible that players who own the Season 2 battle pass would get a discount on the Annual Pass, if Epic do indeed reintroduce it later. It is also possible than a yearly pass could be added for future years of Fortnite.
The bundle would have definitely helped keep players hooked to Fortnite for the remainder of the year, which was presumably the developer’s aim with the idea. As new games release, especially more rival battle royales, Fortnite’s popularity could take a hit.
Locking players in from the start of the year would have made sense in this regard then, but clearly Epic Games had other ideas.