In 2020, Fortnite revealed a sleek matte black design for Halo’s Master Chief, which was exclusive to those who played a match on Xbox Series X|S. At the time, Epic Games said that there would be “no time limit for unlocking the style.” Well, Master Chief is back in Fortnite this week, and Epic Games seems to have gone back on their word. In a post on X/Twitter, the company stated that the style can no longer be obtained. No reason has been given for this sudden change, but a lot of fans aren’t too happy with the situation.
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“The Matte Black style for The Master Chief is no longer unlockable. This style is limited to players who purchased the outfit and played on an Xbox Series X|S prior to December 2024,” the company’s X/Twitter post reads.
A number of fans have replied with anger and frustration about the sudden change in language, and there’s even a Community Note on the current post. The situation is all the more glaring considering that the Fortnite Status account quoted the original Tweet, in which it outright says that there is no time limit. Some have tried to explain away the language, claiming that there is no time limit for those that purchased the Master Chief skin in the first place; the idea being that if you bought it on Xbox One four years ago, you can still unlock the matte black version if you upgrade to an Xbox Series X or Series S. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Basically, if you unlocked it before December 1st, you’ve got it forever, but if you didn’t, there’s no longer a way to obtain it.
For understandable reasons, Fortnite fans are really unhappy about this! In replies to the post, some even tagged the account for the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that the sudden reversal in language should be looked into. The lack of explanation is also part of the frustration, and has led to speculation from players. Some are wondering if this decision was made to keep the skin “rare” and placate players that like having something that can no longer be obtained by the rest of the community. Others think that this might have been part of the contract between Xbox and Epic Games, but it seems odd that the former company would have signed off on Master Chief’s return, but not on the matte black skin coming back. It’s possible we could get an explanation at some point, but for now, no one knows what the deal is.
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To the credit of Epic Games, the company is accepting refunds for new purchases of the Master Chief skin in Fortnite, and it won’t cost players a return ticket. That should make people feel a little better if they spent money thinking they were going to be able to use the matte black version. It’s not as good as getting the skin you were hoping to buy, but at least it’s something.
Did you purchase the Master Chief skin in the hopes of using the matte black version? Are you frustrated over how this situation was handled? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky atย @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
