From late 2017 to the middle of 2020, Fortnite had a tight grip on gamers and children worldwide. The third-person shooter was special: a“battle royale” style game with an unprecedented building feature and unique loot pools that made for engaging gameplay. On Nov. 3, software developer, Epic Games, brought back the original map and weapons, vaulting the game back to the top of the gaming world.
The release of the OG Season has been highly anticipated by the gaming community ever since the game was drastically changed after Chapter X. Epic Games moved away from the original formula of the game to add new features between Chapter Two and Chapter Four, where there would be several overhauls of the map, loot pools and features that come and go and more. This became incredibly unpopular with many of the original players, who moved on to other games while newer players grew to love the new Fortnite.
In the OG Season, Epic Games put together their original formula with many of the best qualities of the later updates. The game cycles through several of the Chapter 1 seasons throughout the month-long season, with original fan-favorite weapons like the Tactical SMG and Rocket Launcher, along with original map locations like Tilted Towers and Paradise Palms. This comes along with old items like the Chug Jug and Impulse Grenades. Features like mantling, zero build mode and more were kept in the game despite not being original to make it feel more improved.
“I would say that OG Fortnite is fun because it brings back the old map and nostalgia that came with it,” senior Sam Bonsignore said. “Especially with all the old guns and locations, it brings players back, it allows them to reminisce and create new memories on a map where so many were created during times of our childhood.”
According to the official Fortnite account, the game peaked at 44.7 million users logging in on Nov. 4, racking up 102 million hours of gameplay during that time. The game is bringing not only streamers and content creators like Lazarbeam back to the game, but also old squads who look to make countless more memories together once again.
“It’s great seeing all my old friends back on,” junior Aydan Sorrentino said. “It feels like a reunion after half a decade of re-experiencing all the great memories we shared as kids.”
This nostalgic season isn’t going to last forever, though. Chapter 5, season 1 is planned to be released on Dec. 3, starting a new sector of the Fortnite story. Fans have been debating whether or not the OG game mode should be kept or not, which has its pros and cons.
“I don’t want OG Fortnite to stay because I believe Chapter 2, season 2 was the best era of Fortnite” junior Molly Trauman said.
Many may consider Fortnite’s new season trivial, but the sudden rise in popularity has meaning behind it. Players have grown so much since the game’s initial release, especially seniors in high school who were in sixth grade when Fortnite was at its absolute peak, making a full circle that connects our teenage years with our childhood memories.
