With the recent “The End” event, Epic Games’ Fortnite looks to be revamping its entire game. It’s a strange instance where the, arguably, most popular video game in the world decides to take a day off voluntarily, yet here we are. Is this really the end of the hit Battle Royale release or is it merely the end of its original self? Thanks to the interactive storyline that’s been occurring throughout its launch and the ever-growing community, it seems as if it’s the latter.
The Story
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the storyline with Fortnite, here’s a quick rundown. Back in Season 4, a character named, The Visitor, was introduced onto the island. Throughout the ten weeks, he began creating a giant rocket that was designed to shoot up into the atmosphere. At the end of the season, The Visitor launched his rocket during the first live event which ended up going awry and transformed the entire map. As the rocket hit the sky, it triggered what is known as Rifts. These open up a crack in the dimension which players can walk into and find themselves free-falling from the clouds. Rifts are also able to open up time warps that can transform landscapes and bring back random objects.
Rifts were a staple of Season 5 that players began to experiment with and use as a strategy. However, at the start of Season 6, a giant purple cube fell from a giant rift in the sky. The cube, dubbed ‘Kevin’, rolled around the map bringing with him some landscape changes and zombie-like creatures. Near the end of the season, Kevin made his way to the location, Loot Lake and made it into a giant floating island. The live event that ended off the season saw this cube explode and send players into an alternate dimension by way of a rift. Other storylines began to emerge, such as a fight between an Ice and Fire King, an Unvaulting where players voted for a weapon to return, a trip to the future, and even a concert from Marshmello.
It wasn’t until Season X that the original storyline returned. After shooting off into the sky, The Visitor returned to the map by way of a meteor. His return marked the return of other familiar sights. Rift Zones brought back previous locations that had left while also introducing new ones such as Batman’s Gotham City and Borderlands‘ Pandora. More experiments began to be conducted and another rocket was built to fix the errors of the past event. This brings us to “The End” event. The Visitor launched his rocket yet again but it was a bit more catastrophic. As it hit the sky, the rocket entered and exited rifts from multiple dimensions to open a massive rift which caused a meteor to enter it. Finally, the meteor crashed into loot lake and caused an interdimensional black hole that sucked up the entire map and subsequently the game itself. Now, for nearly a day, players have been staring at a Black Hole that is sending off messages in need of decoding.
The End
Since the game has entered its Black Hole state, players and streamers have been vocal about what is going on. Multiple theories and forum posts are taking over the internet in addition to over four million views on Twitch alone. This has become the biggest event in video games that aren’t related to a convention or tournament. The main reason it’s become so big is everyone is wondering what happens next. Is it goodbye forever or of what we know as Fortnite? Epic Games has come out and stated that this is merely the end of Chapter 1. Think of it as Avengers: Endgame where it marked the end of the Infinity Saga but there is still another storyline to come. There is no way that the game leaves forever, but it is going to change drastically.
It’s been heavily rumored that the current map is going away in replace of a new one. Not only this, but the Italian App Store actually leaked a photo of what a portion of the map looks like with the caption of “Fortnite: Chapter 2.” This is how this is “The End.” It’s the end of a familiar chapter and world that players have come to love over the past two years. The game has become a global phenomenon and has achieved what many companies can only hope to accomplish. Not only has it created a strong community following but it’s also affected the gaming industry as a whole. So much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s time to say goodbye but also says hello to a new future.
Goodbye Fortnite
What we know as Fortnite is coming to an end but as the age-old saying goes, “don’t be sad that it ended, be happy that it happened.” This game holds loads of memories with friends and family thanks to its ever-changing nature. The map has been able to adapt to seasons, holidays, and player feedback that this game feels much more alive than others. It’s a sad time to see many popular POIs and features leave in favor of new ones but that’s the beauty of it all. This upcoming Chapter 2, Season 1 update is going to bring loads of new areas, content, and things to do that it’s going to feel a bit weird at first. However, it’s also going to feel refreshing.
Knowing that all of the pros, streamers, and ordinary gamers are going to be on the same playing field is great. The change is going to reset the skill and knowledge of the map to help new players adapt while also creating a new experience for existing ones. It’s more of a goodbye to the old memories but hello to a chance at making new ones. The game’s community is going to be able to become newbies again and can explore the world as one rather than outplaying one another, albeit for a limited amount of time. This is a fantastic change that can only benefit the title, which it already has.
Saying goodbye to the familiar world of Fortnite feels a bit strange but it’s going to become a lot better as time goes on. It’s going to bring a new age of exploration to the game while also enticing players that have left to return. This change is much needed as the world has been much more recognizable for the past two years. Another enticing storyline is sure to emerge while also continuing beats from Chapter 1. So those interested in the lore of the game and those wanting a fresh experience are going to be satisfied. So goodbye to what we know about the world of Fortnite and hello to Chapter 2.