It's taken some time, but after years of community petitioning and asking developers for the quality of life change, Fortnite developer Epic Games has confirmed that it is working on the option to disable pre-edit builds. The long-awaited update will aim to make the building aspect of the game less stressful and hopefully easier for players, many of whom have complained the option has lost them games in the Battle Royale.
Pre-editing is a tool that allows players to quickly place a lot of different and previously edited builds in Fortnite. It is turned on for all players by default and it has been a controversial topic within the Fortnite community. The problem highlighted by players is that most do not intentionally use pre-editing, which resulted in the pre-edited builds often being a handicap to the player, leaving them accidentally exposed when they did not intend to use them.
Which is why Epic Games has recently begun working on the option for players to disable their pre-builds. After years of Fornite players engaging in angry Reddit threads and Twitter rants, Twitch streamers leaving Fortnite, and a certain amount of uncertainty with Epic Games "actively considering" adding the changes, Epic has now begun developing what the players and community have been asking for. The update on the option to disable pre-edit builds came from Fortnite community coordinator TheStevieT on Reddit, not long after more viral Twitch grabs of players dying because of their pre-edited builds. He confirmed that Epic does not have an exact time table, but it is going to do it.
However, it could still take a while before these changes are added to the game, and since there is no exact date or timetable, it would be reasonable to expect it in a season or two. Leaks have suggested Season 4 will have the biggest event Epic has ever done, and rumors are indicating they are also working on a Fornite x Super Smash Bros crossover, which may mean pre-edits are not a priority, but players can keep their fingers crossed. It's important to note that another staff member at Epic Games has confirmed that this change is not in the current Fortnite builds yet - gstaffEpic clarified on Reddit that the change is in the works, but is not something players can expect soon.
With large updates to Fortnite in the works, it's appreciated and warming to see that the community is finally being listened to on this subject of pre-edits. After one too many viral videos of the pre-edits ruining runs, it seemed almost comical that no option for disabling pre-edits was available. The change will be welcomed by the majority of the community, and although there will be those who will continue to use them, the option to disable will help a lot of players as a quality of life change.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4 is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch and Mobile.