How do you fix this epic account was previously linked to a different external account Nintendo?

Epic Games' account merge option was discontinued last year, and if you shared a Fortnite, Dauntless or Paladins account between different Switch consoles, maybe you are familiar with the implications.

Nintendo allows game sharing across multiple Switch consoles using the same Nintendo account, but downloadable games can only be played on one console at a time.

This leads to some unwelcome situations. For example, when another family member – (in my case, my son) – uses your Nintendo account to play Fortnite on his console, you won't be able to play any of your downloaded content on another Switch console.

The only solution I could think of was to sign in with my Epic Games account on my son’s Nintendo account. But first, I needed to unlink my Epic Games account from my Nintendo account. As I got to the disconnect option on the Epic Games website, there was a message that warned me that I was not going to be able to link my Epic Games account to a different Nintendo account. That warning alone got me back to square one, as you can imagine.

Before I gave up completely, I asked Epic Games if I could connect my account to a new Nintendo account. They replied that they could disconnect my account and remove a restriction that prevents you from linking it to another Nintendo account. Changing from one Nintendo account to another can only be done once within a 12-month period, so keep that in mind if you want to do this.

When Epic Games lifted the restriction and disconnected my account, I went ahead and disconnected my son’s Epic Account (which he didn’t use, by the way). I opened Fortnite on the Switch with my son’s Nintendo account and signed in using my Epic Games account. After a short verification with Epic Games, all my info and game progress were “transferred” to his Nintendo account – allowing me to finally game in peace.

In short, if you want to do the same, here’s the play by play.

1. Contact Epic Games Support and ask about unlinking your Epic Games account to link it to a new Nintendo account. They will reach out in a couple of days via email.
2. After confirming your account, they will remove the restriction and disconnect it from your Nintendo account.
3. If the Nintendo account you want to use as the receiver of the “transfer” already has an Epic Games account linked, go ahead and unlink it in the Epic Games web site. If not, continue with the next step.
4. Fire up your Nintendo switch and open Fortnite using the Nintendo account you want to “transfer” the Epic Games account to.
5. Sign in with the Epic Games account you want to “transfer” and follow the instructions to confirm your account with Epic Games. Once that is done, Fortnite should sign in with your account.

At first, I was scared of losing all my content, which is I think is the main fear everyone with this issue has. This fear initially prevented me from attempting this, and in a way, I wanted to share my experience so that other people could benefit from it.

Now my son and I can play at the same time using different Switch consoles and I, for one, feel great because I can get back into the game.