Epic Games’ infamous battle royale game, Fortnite, was first released in 2017 to combat opposing video game companies with the battle-royale style video games.
The first battle royale style video game, “H1Z1”, was released in January of 2015. As the game became more popular, other gaming companies started to create their own battle royale style video game.
These early games paved the way for others to follow as developers expanded their platform from computers to phones, making their games more widely accessible. But no game took to the spotlight quite like Epic Games’ Fortnite.
Fortnite was an instant hit, becoming one of the most played video games in the summer of 2017. Its popularity continued to grow as the months went by. However, the game’s playership started to decline in 2019. To stay new and fresh, Epic Games added numerous new features and items that caused the game to become overcomplicated.
Senior Caden Prybil has strong opinions about the game’s changes. “I stopped playing Fortnite around 2020,” said Prybil. “It became a little outdated and there were too many unnecessary things in the game that I didn’t like.”
Overcomplication became the death of Fortnite. The game continued to decline from 2019 to 2023, until Epic Games released a statement in October of 2023 saying they were bringing the original Fortnite map from 2018 back to the game.
Upon the release of the original map on Nov. 3, Fortnite experienced a massive increase in players.
44.7 million players tuned in on the first day alone, setting a record for active players in a single day. Nov. 3 also had a total of 102 million hours of gameplay, also adding to the record of single day gameplay.
People could not help but reminisce in the nostalgia of the original Fortnite. “The original map is a lot better,” continued Prybil. “It reminds me of playing back in elementary and middle school.”
The return of the original map not only marked a nostalgic journey for all 44.7 million players, but also represents Epic Games’ commitment to remembering the iconic game’s history. The legacy of the old Fortnite sits within the 2023 update, bringing back great memories for many players across the nation as they reminisce about the old days of Fortnite.
