If you're old like me, you can remember way back to the ancient times of 2017 when Epic Games released an original title with some interesting elements. It was a cooperative shooter game with survival aspects that featured players and their teammates attempting to fend off hostile creatures and build defensive fortifications. That was the original iteration Fortnite. What was once, briefly, a survival-shooter / tower defense game quickly became known all around the world as a battle royale after a few tweaks and more than a little competition from the then-reigning champ, PUBG. But the original DNA of the world-famous still exists as Fortnite: Save the World ... which just came out of Early Access today, and won't be a free-to-play game like its microtransaction-heavy counterpart, to the displeasure of many, many fans.

In a new State of Development blog post today, Epic Games confirmed that Fortnite: Save the World will "remain a premium experience." Here's how that's going to look:

All paid Founders will have their Founder’s Packs upgraded to the next level and unlock all the rewards included in the upgraded pack... free, courtesy of Homebase! Ultimate Edition owners will be granted the new Metal Team Leader Pack and 8,000 V-Bucks.

 

The legacy Early Access label will also be removed from Battle Royale and Creative game modes, a holdover from our initial Save the World launch. Over the coming months Save the World will no longer be able to support all upcoming Fortnite Battle Royale cosmetic purchases, but your existing library of cosmetics will continue to function in both modes. We’ll let everyone know via the Homebase Status Report when this change will take place.

So while "[d]evelopment of new content will slow down after this official release... the adventure doesn’t end here for Save the World." Epic is introducing Ventures, "a new season-long excursion that takes place in a seasonal zone with new and unique modifiers to tackle." That new introduction comes with a shift in how they structure rollout of new content, like "an annual recurring seasonal schedule where existing in-game narratives and events, such as Frostnite and Dungeons, will continue on a seasonal rotation unique to Save the World and separate from Battle Royale."

That doesn't mean they'll be shelving their "Save the World" packs anytime soon. In fact, Epic just announced their new Metal Team Leader Pack, which arrives this Thursday:

The Metal Team Leader Pack introduces a new Hero, the Papa Bear weapon schematic, Warning Bow Back Bling, the Metal Team leader Challenges, and entry to Save the World at a new $20 price point. These exclusive Save the World challenges will earn you 1,000 V-Bucks, 500 X-Ray Tickets, and a Legendary Troll Stash Llama.

 

The Cosmetic items of this pack will be shared through Battle Royale, Save the World and Creative game modes. Don’t worry, founding Commanders! This new pack series will have no impact on existing Founder daily login rewards or their V-Bucks earned, which is now exclusive to early access Founders. The current Founder’s packs and their rewards will be retired once this new pack series becomes available.

While that all feels a little sudden for fans of Fortnite: Save the World who have invested untold hours in the experience, the biggest complaints came with Epic's closing statement:

While the main story of Save the World is complete, there are still adventures to be had. Continue battling the Husks in Twine Peaks, take on each Save the World seasonal event, or evolve your collection by completing each Venture’s season… the choice is yours.

For those gamers, the main story is far from complete and, if anything, left them with a cliffhanger rather than any meaningful resolution. Folks aren't happy about it. Whether that gets addressed or not in the new Ventures remains to be seen, but it's clear that Epic is shifting their attention (and their resources) elsewhere, giving fans plenty of reason to be rightfully ticked off. Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops (or crumbles into obscurity like the rocket-blasted Twine Peaks.)