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Epic Games confirmed the Xbox-exclusive Matte Black Master Chief is no longer available.
John-117, known as Master Chief from the Halo franchise, has finally returned to Fortnite after an over 900-day hiatus. Despite players' excitement to unlock the iconic character, Epic Games followed the re-release with some upsetting news. Unfortunately, the Xbox-exclusive Matte Black Master Chief alternate style for the Fortnite skin is no longer unlockable. Here is what we know about the situation.
UPDATE: Matte Black Master Chief is unlockable again!
Since posting this story, Epic Games has overturned its initial stance on the Matte Black Master Chief skin after receiving a dreaded “Community Note” on X. Players can now unlock the Matte Black variant through the intended method of playing Fortnite on an Xbox Series X|S or through theXbox Cloud Gaming platform. The post on the FortniteStatus account apologized for the confusion while providing instructions on how to get the alternate style.
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Epic Games confirms the Matte Black Master Chief skin is gone forever
Players who purchased the Master Chief Fortnite skinafter its re-releasescrambled to unlock the Xbox-exclusive Matte Black version but encountered a serious roadblock–it wouldn’t work. Many thought this was a glitch, as the original Master Chief post stated, “There is no time limit for unlocking this style.” Sadly, that was not the case. In a statement, Epic confirmed this version was only unlockable to those who purchased the Outfit before Dec. 2024.
That means the Matte Black Master Chief alternate style has become one of therarest Fortnite skins. Although Epic Games offered the ability to return the cosmetics without using a “Return Ticket,” furious fans took to social media with their frustrations.
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Fans question the meaning of “no time limit.”
After receiving confirmation that the skin is no longer unlockable, players did not shy away from their opinions. Prominent Fortnite leakers, includingShiinaBR, called Epic Games out for seemingly ignoring the “no time limit” aspect of the initial Master Chief post. Others swiftly followed suit, wondering if those who run the FortniteStatus account even read the post from Jun 13, 2025.
Despite the backlash, it seems unlikely that Epic Games will change their mind on this decision. Pair that with the entire company on its annual holiday break; there may not be a resolution soon. We will have to wait and see if there are any further developments.
