Thumbnail images can be influential to the player's perception of an island; they are often your first impression as a creator, and also important to the success of an island. Think of thumbnails as your way to market your island to the Fortnite community. Good guideline knowledge can prevent moderation intervention, decrease downtime, and increase the potential for player engagement—a win-win-win!
Here are a few general points to remember when creating any images related to your island. All images should:
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Accurately represent your game.
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Be engaging.
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Follow all of the brand guidelines for Fortnite.
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Follow the Fortnite Island Creator Rules.
Thumbnail Images
A thumbnail is a still image (not a video) of your island that invites players to learn more. It helps establish your style and brand. The image of your island that shows on the Discover UI, so keep it unique and engaging.
Thumbnails can be uploaded through your Creator Portal account.
Thumbnail Size
Thumbnails should be 1920x1080 minimum (16:9 aspect ratio) for a rectangular thumbnail, and 1024x1024 minimum for a square image, and the image size should be no larger than 5 MB.
Appropriate for a General Audience
Thumbnails should be appropriate for a general audience. Content that is suitable for a general audience cannot contain realistic violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, gore, references to gambling, or use of strong language. This includes:
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Mildly sexualized depictions of a character’s body parts, such as breasts or buttocks
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Images that elicit a strong sense of threat, dread or terror (e.g. grotesque creatures)
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Active gunfire from a visible weapon
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Crosshairs shown over a face / head
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Guns pointed at the viewer
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Guns pointed at the head of a character
To learn more, see the ESRB Ratings Principles and Guidelines.
Common Thumbnail Submission Errors
The following guidelines are intended to improve the Discover experience for all players. Including the following content in your thumbnail will result in rejection during moderation.
Don't Include References to Real-world or In-game Currency
Thumbnails that don’t accurately represent the content of your game, are considered clickbait and will result in rejection. Avoid referencing V-Bucks or any real-world currency or equivalent on your thumbnails.
Only Include Content that is Available or Interactable on the Island
Help maintain our community by ensuring the main elements in your thumbnail accurately represent your island. Any featured guns or devices included must be; Epic available and interactable. Available weapons — or devices — in Creative can be incorporated into the thumbnails if desired (see Weapons below).
Game Controls Vary By Console and Player
Discover only includes platform-agnostic islands that can be played on any platform that supports Fortnite. Using specific platform-based input requests confuses players. Creators should avoid using console-specific controls and find more creative ways to present their islands.
Be Original, Epic Games’ Intellectual Property is for Epic Games
As a creator, Epic Games logos, product names, or copying of our brand is not allowed. Instead, use your own creator-branded logo or badge to represent you. (see Creator Brand Logos below).
An example of using the Epic Games logo. | An example of using the Fortnite logo. |
An example of using the Fall Guys logo. | An example of using the Rocket Racing logo. |
Additional Thumbnail Reminders
Any reference to levelling up or XP amounts on your thumbnails will result in a rejection.
Examples of Good Thumbnails
The following are guidelines for creating quality thumbnail images.
Accurate Representation of Your Island
Use images that accurately represent your island and some aspects of its gameplay.
Use of Weapons
Use of 3D weapons rendered in the island environment are permitted, as long as they represent your gameplay.
Creator Brand Logos
You can use your own brand logo on the image.
You can include the game name; it will also show under the image in Discover.