Fortnite’s zombie-slaying, tower-defending Save the World was first released for Early Access in July 2017, with the promise of a free-to-play version a year later. But three years down the line, Epic Games has decided against its plans.
In the game’s latest development update, Epic said Save the World will “remain a premium experience,” and will leave its Early Access phase on June 30. This means Save the World will remain behind a $40 pay-wall for the foreseeable future.
Epic has practically discontinued the game and left its faithful few players to pick up where they left off. The developers will now update Save the World on a seasonal basis, with something called ‘Ventures’.
Ventures are “season-long excursions” that takes place in a “seasonal zone” with “unique modifiers” to tackle. Each Venture season, according to Epic, will bring in a “path of continued progressional and fresh seasonal levels to climb.”
Completing challenges in Ventures will earn players seasonal experience which will impact the level of difficulty they encounter, the weapons they find, and the rewards they earn. Reaching higher Venture levels will also unlock Supercharger materials that can be used to raise the level of items beyond their cap.
With the introduction of Ventures, Epic is moving Save the World to an annual recurring seasonal schedule, where existing narratives and events will rotate, separate from Fortnite. This includes events such as Frostnite and Dungeons.
Save the World’s library of heroes, schematics, and questlines will also rotate throughout each season, with new quests and heroes joining the game at a significantly slower rate.
This means Save the World’s main story is now complete, but die-hard fans can continue to enjoy the game and evolve their collection with seasonal events.
