Epic Games revealed the abandonment rate of FortniteAfter backlash surrounding the infamous in-game pickup, fans attempted to report the studio to the FTC.
It’s barely been a week since Epic shook up the Item Shop with the launch of its Treasure Hunters mini-season on November 1st. At the center of the reaction is the Pirate Token, an ultra-rare item that gives access to the pirate shop and makes virtually every item in the store free for 14 days.
This is an in-game collectible of unprecedented value, so naturally, it sent players into a frenzy as they turned over each chest in the hopes of finding one for themselves. The problem with a token like this, players argued, is that they should probably be informed about the chances of finding it so as not to waste their time on chests that might very likely never yield results. This is transparency that Epic has failed to provide – until now.
The developers finally took steps to end the backlash with a post shared on the Fortnite Service X/Twitter account. Leaving no room for guesswork, Epic explained the exact drop rate for this season’s treasures and how luck can differ between the average day and treasure hours. The only caveat is that Treasure Hour drop rates could be higher in the future, with the team giving the example of a window tonight that increases the rates for the Pirate Token and Weekly Gold Outfit. You can see the full breakdown below.
Fortnite Treasure Hunter Drop Rate
Normal correspondence
• 1:1,562,500 – Weekly Gold Outfit
• 1:137,500 – Access to the pirate store
• 1:7 813 – Weekly Vehicle and Decal
• 1:568 – Pickaxe or weekly baggage
• 1:391 – Weekly Jam Track
• 1:272 – Weekly loading screen
• 1:127 – Gizmo (any)
Treasure Hours
• Access to the pirate store: 1.5 x
• Weekly Golden Outfit: 7.5x
• Vehicle and weekly decal: 10 x
It was the ignorance that was most painful for the thousands of fans who spent hours upon hours searching for the pirate token last week. Some chose to stick to routine, opening the coffers to no avail. Many, many others, however, took their frustrations online.
“All Fortnite players deserve equal treatment,” one disgruntled gamer said. “Players who are barely playing get the Pirate Shop Access Token from day one, while long-time players with 3,000+ chests get NOTHING. I’m calling on Fortnite players if we don’t get this token, LET’S BOYCOTT FORTNITE FOREVER.”
Hello @FTC, Epic Games added a new “Pirate Token” that has no public chance of obtaining it, which creates an anti-consumer/FOMO field. The game is mostly played by kids, they can do anything if they don’t understand, so take action against Epic Games please.
– KBAHTCET │ QuantSet (@QuantSet) November 5, 2026
You might not be too surprised to see some calling for a boycott of Fortnite due to the confusion surrounding the pirate token. What is perhaps a little more shocking, however, are those who tried to report Epic to the Federal Trade Commission for not having shared the chances from the start.
“What Fortnite has brought to this game is predatory and conducts a deceptive business practice making people believe that everyone has a ‘FAIR’ chance,” said another player, who said they “wouldn’t be surprised” to see the FTC get involved. “I also know people where entire teams with over 15,000 chests opened and didn’t get items just like the car, jam track, pickaxe, or loading screen. Fortnite needs to be more transparent with the community and partners when it comes to hosting events like this.”
We now know that during most hours of the day, everyone has a 1 in 137,000 chance of opening a chest giving access to the Pirate Shop. Before the clarification, the players had No idea of how many chests they should expect to open before letting frustration set in. A few online players had even speculated that the dropout rate might be around 1:7,000, a far cry from what ended up being the reality.
@FortniteStatus “1:137,500 – Access to the Pirate Shop”
This is why Luffy still hasn’t found One Piece after 20 years. https://t.co/eSDpRLYZev
— UKNON Jones – OUT NOW! (@uknonjones) November 7, 2026
Fans are generally happy to see the accurate odds on their screens, although they wish Epic was more transparent at the end of the season. As of now, it’s unclear if the studio plans to try moves like this again, or if drop rates will be clarified sooner.
“Thank you, that’s what we wanted”, @StableRonaldo said. “WFortnite.”
“Thanks for the transparency but it shouldn’t have taken a week”, @M1das_OW2 replied.
Fortnite found itself in hot water again when players launched a campaign against her skin Nikki from Obsession last month. Epic is reportedly working on a Star Wars and Marvel crossover game, even if it’s reportedly recently delayed.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer at IGN. He is best known for his work on sites like The Pitch, The Escapist and OnlySP. Be sure to follow him on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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