A Sudden Shift in Stat Tracking
Epic Games is quietly shaking up how player data works in Fortnite. A new API update is on the horizon. It will completely change the way third-party sites collect match history. For years, platforms like Fortnite Tracker have scraped statistics automatically. That is about to end.
Soon, the default setting for player statistics will flip to private. If you want to keep tracking your wins, kills, and overall kill-to-death ratio on external sites, you will have to take action. You must manually opt-in. If you don’t, your historical data on these tracking websites could stop updating entirely.
The End of Automatic Scraping
It is a major shift. Since the early days of Fortnite’s battle royale mode, tracking stats has been a core part of the competitive experience. Websites run by the Tracker Network became daily destinations for millions of players. They offered detailed breakdowns of every match, survival times, regional leaderboards, and the coveted TRN rating. All of that relied on Epic’s public application programming interface, or API.
Historically, the API left player profiles open by default. Third-party algorithms just pulled the numbers. Now, Epic is tightening security. Under the new system, player profiles will automatically hide match statistics from public queries. It is a win for privacy advocates. But for the active gaming community, it is another hurdle to jump.
How to Keep Your Fortnite Tracker Active
The Tracker Network has already started warning its user base. They explained that once Epic deploys the update, any player who hasn’t actively consented to sharing their data will disappear from public leaderboards. Fortunately, saving your data is relatively simple. Players must manually enable public sharing inside the game client itself.
To keep your stats active, follow these steps:
- Launch Fortnite and open the main menu.
- Navigate to the Settings menu and click on the ‘Account and Privacy’ tab.
- Scroll down to the ‘Gameplay Privacy’ section.
- Find the option labeled ‘Show on Career Leaderboard’ and toggle it to ‘On’.
- Save your changes.
Alternatively, some tracking platforms may offer direct account linking to verify ownership and authorize data collection. If you miss the deadline, your profile on Fortnite Tracker will freeze. While Epic will still hold your local lifetime stats in the in-game ‘Career’ tab, the external, shareable archive of your gaming journey will go dark.
Why Epic Is Restricting API Access
For casual players, this might seem like a minor tweak. But for content creators, aspiring pros, and competitive teams, it is a significant disruption. Recruiters often look at Tracker Network profiles to verify a player’s skill level before signing them. There is also the historical aspect. Some players have spent over five years building up a pristine record of seasonal wins. Watching those lines on a graph stop updating is a frustrating prospect.
Epic’s decision reflects a broader trend in the tech and gaming industries. Over the past few years, major platforms have locked down their APIs. While some networks did it for financial reasons, Epic seems more focused on user privacy and compliance with global data protection laws like GDPR. Protecting younger players from unsolicited tracking and online harassment is a major priority for the publisher.
Still, the timing has caught some off guard. Epic has not heavily publicized the transition to casual players, leaving third-party sites to spread the word themselves. If you want to save your digital legacy, do not wait. Check your privacy settings today. The change is expected to roll out with the next major game patch. Keep your stats public, or prepare to watch your tracker profile fade to black.
