Fortnite developer Epic Games has detailed how it will soon allow third-party sellers to offer “paid random items” in developer-made game modes – which fans claim opens the door to loot boxes.
In September, Epic Games announced that it would start allowing third-party developers to sell in-game items in the near future. As of today, developers now have access to the necessary tools to do this, although this feature is not yet available in the game. (To be clear, there is no suggestion that Epic Games will begin offering random items for employ in core game modes such as Battle Royale, which it is developing itself.)
Board blog posts are now available, describing in detail rules what Fortnite developers need follow when selling items within your own modes – including a number of legal restrictions that block random items in certain countries and to certain users under 18 years of age.
“In addition to your responsibility for compliance, you must comply with certain restrictions that apply when offering paid random items,” Epic Games wrote in a blog post titled “Island Transaction Restrictions.” “Failure to use the features described below will constitute a violation of Epic’s policies.”
The sale of random items is completely blocked in Singapore, Qatar, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium – a list that includes several countries that have cracked down on loot boxes in video games in the past. In the UK (and Brazil from March 2026), paid random items are blocked for players under 18 years of age.
Epic Games also stipulated that any transaction involving a random item must disclose the probability of its conclusion.
“For example,” Epic Games wrote, “if you offer a health potion pack that has a random chance to award 5, 10, or 50 potions, you must disclose the odds of the potential reward before purchase (e.g., 60% chance to award 5 potions, 30% chance to award 10 potions, and 10% chance to award 50 potions).”
A vast group of countries cannot display direct purchase suggestions (e.g. “buy now!). This list includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada (under 13), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (under 17), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain (under 16 years old).
There are also general restrictions on selling in-game items, which are pretty straightforward – there’s a whole list of rules about not copying or providing confusingly similar items to what Fortnite already offers. Apparently, Epic Games had already assumed in advance that some developers would do this to encourage players to spend money or to deceive them.
In September, Epic Games mentioned Fortnite’s big rival Roblox by name, explaining how developers would get a larger share of gaming revenue on its own platform. Fortnite creators will earn 37% of in-game sales, temporarily doubled to 74% for 12 months until December 31, 2026. By comparison, Roblox offers creators 25% of in-game revenue. But it remains to be seen how many Roblox developers will be tempted to join Fortnite, as well as exactly how developers will start selling in-game items – even under Epic’s rules.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
