Fortnite OG is coming back. Roughly one year after Epic Games sent gamers back in time, the developers are poised to do it again. This time, they’re going to allow players to stay there. Epic has spent the last year trying to recapture the magic from that season and understand what the spike in player count meant.
Initially, they tried adding a new mode that used OG-esque guns and locations. Reload, which is sort of like Resurgence mode from Call of Duty: Warzone, was introduced and brought back old weapons and locations that resembled Chapter 1 POIs. Remix, which is the current season, is a reimagining of Chapter 2. Neither really worked, but Epic has a new plan: restoring Chapter 1 as a permanent, alternative mode.
Leaks Indicate Fortnite OG is Back Permanently
Several leakers have uncovered huge news in the game files. Fortnite OG, which was such a smashing success, is going to become its own, separate mode. When it does, players will be able to select it just like they can Festival, Rocket Racing, Creative, Zero Build, or LEGO mode. This is expected to take place sometime in December after Chapter 6 arrives.
Epic Games thanked everyone for the surge of players the OG season added and said they would revisit their 2024 road map. So many thought that their attempt to recapture the magic was Reload and Remix. However, there are two options for what really happened. First, that was their idea and it didn’t work, so they are trying this now. Second, and perhaps more likely, Epic planned to bring the mode back all along and are just now able to finally do it.
Why OG’s Return is Important
Fortnite OG coming back permanently is a huge deal for the gaming industry as a whole. First, it further cements Epic Games as one of the best developers on the market. They heard the requests from the community and they listened. It took some time, but this is what people wanted. They may still have the alternative Battle Royale mode for the new, convoluted, and ever-changing gameplay, but this provides something that everyone enjoyed.
Second, it completely changes how live service games can and should operate. Other games like Apex Legends have done similar things in the wake of OG and Remix. With live service games constantly evolving and changing, there is no access to the older version. It’s sort of like Minecraft, but players have frozen their games on old versions to stay there. That wasn’t possible with Fortnite, but it sort of is now.
Not Just Nostalgia
For years, the community complained that things were better in Chapter 1. Epic Games listened and brought in the Fortnite OG season. Even after that, the complaints didn’t end because it wasn’t just a nostalgia-driven request. It was a genuine plea to give players the gameplay, weapons, and locales they wanted. Epic listened, which is, again, more than most developers would do.
Fortnite has been one of the most popular games of all time, and it has done so by providing new ways to play every so often. Chapter 5 was nothing like Chapter 4, which was nothing like Chapter 3, and so on. But Chapter 1 had the simplicity that so many gamers want from the current game, which is a bit overstuffed and overcomplicated. Now, there’s an option for both.
Note: The information comes largely from leaks, though there is a widespread belief that these are legitimate. Just remember that no leak is ever guaranteed.
In Conclusion
Fortnite has major staying power for a lot of reasons. So many other battle royales and live service games have come and gone in the seven years since Epic Games dropped this one. One of the biggest reasons for that is the willingness to listen to and do what players want. They’ve done that by, unless the leaks are wrong, restoring OG in a permanent sense.
