Epic Will Let Fortnite Developers Sell In-Game Items Starting in December 2025

Epic Games has announced a major expansion of its creator economy inside Fortnite, revealing that beginning in December 2025, developers who create their own games and experiences within the platform will be able to sell in-game items directly from their islands. This new revenue stream will exist alongside the current engagement payouts, further broadening the ways creators can monetize their work. The announcement was made through an official blog post on the Fortnite website, where Epic detailed the rollout plan and revenue structure of this significant update.

According to Epic, developers will receive 100% of the revenue from in-game item sales between December 2025 and the end of 2026. After that introductory period, revenue sharing will shift to the standard 50% split. This is designed to give creators a powerful incentive to establish their islands and in-game economies during the initial rollout phase before the permanent rate takes effect.

Epic is also making substantial changes to engagement payouts, which remain one of the most important revenue streams for developers. Beginning on November 1, 2025, the payout system will be updated so that creators who successfully bring in new or lapsed players will receive 75% of those players’ contributions to the engagement payout pool for their first six months. By weighting rewards toward player acquisition and retention, Epic is encouraging creators to grow the Fortnite ecosystem while simultaneously rewarding their most impactful contributions.

Another upcoming feature is the addition of a Sponsored Row on Fortnite’s Discover page. This new system will allow creators to bid for placement using transparent market data, participating in an auction to highlight their islands. As with in-game item sales, all revenue generated from Sponsored Row placement will go entirely to developers from November 2025 through the end of 2026, after which the standard 50% split will apply.

Epic also unveiled Creator Communities, a feature that will allow developers to build community hubs with posts about island updates, upcoming events, feedback requests, and other content. These posts will be integrated directly into Fortnite, appearing across Island Lobbies, Island Pages, Creator Pages, and a dedicated Discover row. This initiative is meant to deepen connections between developers and their audiences, encouraging more sustained engagement across the platform.

The announcement is part of Epic’s ongoing effort to expand Fortnite into a broader ecosystem that competes more directly with platforms like Roblox. Epic itself highlighted the competitive context, noting how its revenue-sharing model contrasts with Roblox’s, where developers often receive a smaller cut of in-game purchase revenue. With Fortnite now offering item sales, engagement payouts, Sponsored Row monetization, and community-building tools, Epic is providing creators with multiple complementary ways to sustain their projects financially.

The potential impact is significant given the scale of Fortnite’s creative platform. Since the launch of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), players have collectively logged more than 11.2 billion hours across over 260,000 live creator-made islands, with Epic reporting that $722 million has been paid out to creators to date. Epic reinforced its commitment by stating:

“Since UEFN launched, players have spent over 11.2 billion hours across 260,000 live creator-made islands, which has resulted in $722,000,000 paid out to date. We'll continue investing in new tools that unlock more development possibilities for creators.”

The question now is whether players will be willing to purchase creator-made items in significant numbers, as the system’s success ultimately depends on the demand for unique content inside Fortnite’s ecosystem. What is certain is that Epic is positioning Fortnite as a creator-first platform with financial structures that rival its biggest competitor, and for developers, December 2025 could mark the beginning of an entirely new era.


Will Epic’s new revenue-sharing model help Fortnite creators rival Roblox developers, or will player demand be the deciding factor?