I fear Fortnite Festival support is fading away, and I’m not alone

Getting acts such as Metallica, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, and Sabrina Carpenter to headline your digital stage sounds outlandish, but Epic Games’ tenacity with Fortnite Festival is fierce. At least previous updates make it seem that way, as recent additions to the Rock Band successor and the Jam Stage feel like the fire is gone. Is there something bubbling under the surface, or are the last two Fortnite updates a sign of things to come?

Typically, Fortnite Festival brings fresh Jam Tracks to the Item Shop every Thursday. Since the mode’s inception, Epic Games’ update pattern usually meant that at least three songs are coming your way. On top of that, the tracks, for the most part, are from popular artists or legendary bands that are ripe for jamming on with your friends. Whether it’s Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, Rage Against The Machine’s Killing In The Name, or Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, there could be something for everyone.

Yet, here we are, with just new additions that are hardly worth coughing up V-Bucks for. Since deploying Bruno Mars back onto the battle royale game‘s island, the future of Fortnite Festival and Jam Tracks doesn’t feel promising. Considering that Bruno Mars’ appearance isn’t his first – he first appeared in February 2022 – it’s a significant downgrade after the excellent Sabrina Carpenter update. It also features some of the best Fortnite skins, with my personal favorites amounting to the Fender Jaguar-style guitar cosmetics.

Look, licensing music isn’t easy, and it’s extremely costly, I understand that. But the absence of the Jam Stage makes it sting more. I’m not alone in this thinking, either. Players over on the Fortnite Festival subreddit are questioning the recent cadence of updates.

The addition of features like solo jamming with multiple tracks is brilliant, but I fear it’s all for nothing. Even the teasers for the forthcoming Fortnite Deadmau5 don’t match the grandiose nature of past artists. Sadly, Epic Games remains quiet on the roadmap ahead.

Epic Games could easily rectify this, though. Reinstating the full Jam Track library in the Item Shop would be an ideal start. In the meantime, there are other experiences to get stuck into. Fortnite Squid Game brings the hit Netflix series to the island, just in time for the release of Squid Game Season 3.

For more of the latest mobile hardware and gaming news, whether you’re claiming Fortnite codes, diving into the best Steam Deck games, or the best Switch games, follow us on Google News to stay in the loop. Or, if you’re more of a console gamer, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 review.