Fortnite Battle Royale has transcended your average video game to become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. In fact, the third-person shooter saw a peak 3.4 million concurrent players in March, with the servers buckling under the pressure. Fortnite Battle Royale also holds the record for individual streamer numbers on Twitch with Ninja’s stream featuring Drake.
Part of that has to do with the popularity of Battle Royale games in general, and part of it has to do with the Epic Games’ ability to add small details (like these dances) to a colorful, fun-to-watch world.
But perhaps most importantly, Epic Games seems to be obsessive about keeping the game fresh, whether it’s adding new player skins, new areas of the map, or new equipment within the game. In that vein, Fortnite
BR is structured in seasons, lasting three months each, that add a new flavor to Battle Royale.
Season 3, with a space theme, ends on April 30. But beyond space-themed skins, Epic has also layered in a little storyline, with a comet set to hit the game map. As part of this, meteors have been gradually getting closer to the map, and recently hitting it. TVs throughout the game are broadcasting an emergency message. Rooftops and mountain peaks now have telescopes and lawn chairs where people supposedly set up to check out the incoming comet.
The question on every Battle Royale players mind? Will a comet strike the map? Will it hit Tilted Towers, the figurative ‘downtown’ of the map and the most popular landing spot by far? The mystery surrounding this comet, which has had no effect on the actual game, has made Fortnite Battle Royale all the more top of mind to players and spectators alike.
In just a few days, we’ll get our answers as Season 4 begins.
Epic Games has teased Season 4 via Twitter with a graphic that seems to hint at a Superhero-themed season. Within a streak of fire (the comet?) is the image of a person in an Iron Man-esque mask. Or perhaps he looks more like the Flash. Today, Epic tweeted out another image that might hint at a new skin, with a female character who look strikingly similar to Wonder Woman.
Again, Epic Games is staying as relevant as possible. The Marvel universe is thriving, and Avengers: Infinity War comes out today.
Forbes contributor Paul Tassi posits that the comet and the Super Hero theme are interconnected. Perhaps the comet is the superhero, landing to usher in Season 4. Maybe the superhero is arriving to save the world from the comet. Or maybe the comet strikes, aliens land with it, and Season 4 centers around a battle between aliens and superheroes.
Honestly, anything could happen. But the fact that people, myself included, care enough to spend time creating and wading through various theories indicates that Fortnite’s Battle Royale is not slowing down anytime soon.