After a few rough years of a declining player base, Fortnite has suddenly seen a massive boom in interest again thanks to its addition of the OG Chapter 1 map in its latest update. According to developer and publisher Epic Games, the free-to-play battle royale saw 44.7 million players return to experience a slice of nostalgia after the original map, weapons and traversal tools from the popular first season were re-introduced in an overhaul.
Fortnite launched back in 2018 as a more kid-friendly and cartoonish alternative to the militaristic battle royale PUBG and it’s no surprise that it ended up catching lighting in a bottle for Epic Games. Since then, the game has seen numerous updates and undergone transformations with countless new mechanics, weapons, skins and even map overhauls added to the game. Sadly, interest in Fortnite dwindled over the years as is the case for most live-service games.
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That is, until yesterday when Epic Games reported that Fortnite had attracted 44.7 million players over the weekend following the launch of the Chapter 1 map, which is arguably its most popular map and the one several fans are intimately familiar with. Epic called it “the biggest day in Fortnite‘s history”, outdoing previous peaks.
Way to start things off with a big bang 💥
We're blown away by the response to #FortniteOG. Yesterday was the biggest day in Fortnite’s history with over 44.7 MILLION players jumping in and 102 MILLION hours of play.
To all Fortnite players, OG and new, THANK YOU!
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) November 5, 2023
Of course, the Chapter 1 map isn’t actually the “original” map as it’s simply the 2018 updated version of the less-busy 2017 map. However, since Fortnite hit its stride in 2018, this is the version of the original map that most first-time players experienced. The 2017 map is a lot less cluttered with fewer locations but it was a smart decision on Epic’s part to go with the updated map as there are less open spaces. It’s also better balanced for the game’s various gameplay mechanics that were added over the years.
Fortnite has continued to add new content to bolster its lineup of crossovers and skins. Earlier this year, it added Jujutsu Kaisen skins (among many others) in new updates.
Source: Epic Games
