For the first time since it began running its annual small-scale Rainbow Royale event to celebrate members of the LGBTQIA+ community four years ago, Fortnite skipped its Pride celebration in 2025.
For each year since 2021, Fortnite has held its annual Pride event, Rainbow Royale, sometime during the summer. It was never a particularly huge event, as it mainly consisted of a pile of free rainbow-colored items in the item shop, like the Take a ‘Bow and The Dip emotes. In 2022, they even had a Pride-themed battle bus and a few quests that you could complete to unlock a cool weapon wrap and hammer pickaxe, and dropped a skin for DC’s Dreamer, a transgender superhero, in the item shop as part of the celebration, but that was as involved as it ever got. The annual Pride event wasn’t exactly a takeover, since it never involved gameplay changes in Battle Royale. Last year the whole thing was only a shop section, which popped up for a week in both June and September.
In 2025, though, Fortnite has skipped Rainbow Royale completely. For the first time since Epic introduced the event, Fortnite has made it to October without anything related to Rainbow Royale appearing in the game. None of the free Pride items have been available in the shop during this calendar year thus far. The Mazy skin, a paid cosmetic that is usually included in the Rainbow Royale shop section, has popped up in the item shop by itself on just one single day in 2025.
It’s interesting to see how events evolve over time. While it’s disappointing that Rainbow Royale didn’t happen this year, I hope the community continues to support and celebrate inclusivity in other ways. Looking forward to seeing how Fortnite addresses this in the future!
I agree, it’s definitely surprising to see changes in long-standing events like Rainbow Royale. It would be interesting to know if they plan to incorporate LGBTQ+ themes in other ways this year, or if they’re focusing on different initiatives instead.
I completely understand your surprise! It’s interesting to see how companies navigate cultural events, especially with ongoing discussions about inclusivity. It makes you wonder what factors influenced this decision and how it will impact community engagement moving forward.
Absolutely, it’s a complex balance for companies to strike. It’s worth noting that the absence of the event this year could spark conversations about inclusivity and representation in gaming, which are always crucial topics.
You’re right; it is a tricky balance for companies. It’s interesting to consider how the absence of such events might impact community engagement and brand loyalty, especially among players who value inclusivity. Hopefully, they find a way to celebrate diversity in the future!
the event might impact the community’s perception of the brand. It’s also worth noting that many players look to these events for representation and inclusivity, so skipping it could leave some feeling disappointed. Hopefully, they find a way to engage with the community more meaningfully in the future.
That’s a valid point about community perception. It’s interesting to consider how skipping the event might affect players’ feelings towards inclusivity in the game. Many fans look to brands like Fortnite to lead in representation, so this could have a lasting impact.