Going Backward Through the Major Fortnite Map Changes

Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the world and for many is still the king of the battle royale genre.

Epic Games released Fortnite's battle royale mode officially Sept. 26, 2017. The game rose to immediate popularity with fans flocking to the Battle Bus so they could drop in and get Victory Royales. As the game evolved, players became more and more attached to the map. The island itself became one of the most popular aspects of Fortnite.

"Where we landing?" It became part of the game's culture. Map evolution became a vital part to seasonal content. Epic Games' in-game live events became spectacles where players would hang around to see what would happen.

Taking a look at the current Fortnite map, a lot has changed.

Going Backward Through the Major Fortnite Map Changes

The map was overtaken by water. It was arguably the biggest overall map change in the game's history. It opened up new ways to play the game and put an emphasis on traversing bodies of water. It was the biggest map change of Chapter 2 by far.

Chapter 2 is young still and fans remember how influential each change was in Chapter 1.

The original map, while iconic, was simple. It had 13 points of interest including fan favorites Anarchy Acres, Fatal Fields and Retail Row. As the map changed, new areas were introduced while older ones were altered, removed, or sometimes hit by a meteor. From Season X back to Season 5, the map looks drastically different to the seasons that preceded the latter.

More and more dynamic elements were added including a desert area, snow and more. Other notable moments include the transformation of Tilted Towers to Neo Tilted. Tilted Towers as an area in itself became a landmark in gaming. Fans waited each season for the live event hoping something would happen to the area. They predicted a meteor would hit it, only for Dusty Depot to get hit. Then they hoped the Rocket Launch event would hit it. Nope not quite. It became a talking point each time a live event rolled around.

Even if it wasn't Tilted Towers, Epic Games found new ways to update the map each time. Whether it was Kevin the Cube, adding a volcano, a viking ship, Fortnite's map became the center of attention time and time again.

A Retrospective on the Original Map

Looking at the first iteration of the map, it didn't take any risks and it didn't have to. Fortnite's popularity really kicked off around Season 3 which also coincides with when the map changes were implemented each season.

Epic Games stuck with the same island while other games tried going with adding new maps. PUBG and Apex Legends, for example, have multiple maps. Fortnite has just the one and it's proven to be a successful formula. That's not to say other titles haven't had success, but none quite compare to the relationship the Fortnite community has with the map.

It's even set a precedent for other battle royale games. Call of Duty: Warzone, one of the current popular titles, introduced fans to Verdansk. Five seasons in and fans are begging for major map changes. The latest season included a train and the new Stadium, but not much changed otherwise. Fans predict that the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War live event will bring some major changes, but it remains to be seen.

For as long as Fortnite remains popular in gaming, fans will always wait in anticipation for major map changes and what Epic Games does next.

This article is brought to you by Tenet, in cinemas this August. Check out the trailer below: