UPDATE: Epic Games has clarified that the message of the day was an accidental leak and that, while a store sale is coming soon, it is not live and no exact date has been set. This post (originally titled “How to claim free $10 for Fortnite Battle Royale’s in-game store”) has been adjusted to reflect that announcement.
It appears that Fortnite Battle Royale players and other Epic Games Store users will soon receive a gift of $10 in credit by completing a simple task ahead of the Epic Games Store Mega Sale.
Epic Games are the developers of Fortnite Battle Royale, and recently launched the Epic Games Store, a competitor to Steam which hosts a number of PC games, and also features some exclusive titles such as Ubisoft’s The Division 2.
Now, Epic Games could be getting ready to offer players $10 free of charge by completing a simple security measure (one that you should be using even without the reward!) inside their store.
How will players get their free $10?
Getting your hands on the free $10 from Epic Games should be simple, if an accidentally released Fortnite Battle Royale ‘message of the day’ from the early hours of May 14 is to be believed.
According to the message, all players will need to do is enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on their Epic Games account. If, or when, the sale goes live, players should be gifted with the Epic Games Store credit upon completion.
The message was quickly removed after it appeared in the in-game news feed but many players were able to grab screenshots of it, giving everyone time to prepare for what could soon become an official announcement.
After the message of the day was removed in-game, the developers took to Twitter to clarify that it had appeared mistakenly and that no such offer was currently live or officially scheduled.
They said: “Whoops! An MOTD snuck out about a sale. There is an Epic Games store sale on games in the works, but it hasn’t launched yet. Stay tuned to @EpicGames for details in a few days.”
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Whoops! An MOTD snuck out about a sale. There is an Epic Games store sale on games in the works, but it hasn't launched yet. Stay tuned to @EpicGames for details in a few days.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) May 14, 2019
How do I enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on my account?
Enabling two-factor authentication on your account must be done on the Epic Games website, and cannot be completed inside the Fortnite Battle Royale game on your PC or console. Once enabled, players will receive an email with a special code from Epic Games that must be entered every time you attempt to log into your Epic Games account on a new device.
To enable 2FA:
- Go to epicgames.com and log into your Epic account.
- Open account settings by hovering over your username in the top right corner.
- Select password and security.
- At the bottom of the page, click on the ‘enable two-factor sign in’ button.
Why would Epic Games give away store credit for 2FA?
Two-factor authentication is the best way that Epic Games can protect your account, which for many has already seen significant investment in the forms of purchased Battle Passes, and skins and cosmetics that have been bought from the in-game store.
By offering an incentive to players who have it activated, Epic Games will surely be hoping to persuade more to enable the security measure on their account with the incentive of $10 credit to buy more skins, cosmetics, or get money off other games.
This wouldn’t be the first time the developers have offered rewards for enabling 2FA – they previously gave out emotes to those who turned it on.
What could I buy with $10 credit?
Epic Games’ generous gift, if it becomes official, would mean players could purchase V-Bucks from the in-game store. These can be used to acquire new skins, cosmetic items, or the Season 9 Battle Pass in Fortnite Battle Royale.
The $10 credit could also theoretically be used inside the Epic Games Store itself, allowing players to get money off one of the big titles available to purchase in the marketplace, or to buy a smaller game as part of the Mega Sale which is coming up.
Last updated May 14 2019 at 12:30 pm Eastern Time.