Epic is adding novel time limit controls to Fortnite and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), giving parents another tool to stop their children from playing the popular Battle Royale game at any moment of the day.
On the official blog, Epic revealed novel additions to parental controls, which also include time reports. The tool will allow parents to decide when and how long children can play Fortnite, and the tool offers the ability to set specific availability time windows.
If timeout control is dynamic, kids will start seeing in-game notifications when they have 30 minutes left. Once it expires, kids won’t be able to play again until the next availability period, which means they’ll have to find other ways to stay entertained on their own. Maybe Roblox. Or Minecraft.
Time limits and accompanying time reports are part of a suite of tools designed to give parents control over how their children play one of the world’s most popular games. Other options include voice and chat permissions, the ability to filter adult language, and purchase settings (so little Timmy doesn’t buy $100,000 Metal Gear Solid and Family Guy skins).
Fortnite’s extraordinary popularity has put it in the spotlight of parenting groups, and one 2018 report claimed it was causing children to become addicted to video games. This claim has been made about many popular video games over the years, and Fortnite is just the latest one.
Either way, Fortnite goes on. This morning, Epic released Fortnite Patch 31.30, which includes sleep mode and Fortnitemares promotions. Season 4 of Fortnite Chapter 5 is currently underway, introducing a ton of Marvel-related content, and is scheduled to run until November.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Got a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
