“FORTNITE” GOES DOWN For Likely MAJOR UPDATE; Player ACCOUNTS Assured Unaffected

It is amazing how far some videogame titles can go after a relatively short period of time. When Epic Games released “Fortnite,” originally a co-op third-person online action shooter in 2017, it was somewhat just one of many similar titles. But when it offered a PvP Battle Royale mode similar to the then-emerging “Battle Royale” genre set by “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” it became one of the pillars of that subset. In fact so many people played the games for lengthy periods that it was taken to court for being “addictive as drugs.” But now “Fortnite” players find themselves unable to get their “fix,” as it were, with the game being down.

The Verge reports that since the afternoon of Sunday, October 13, the millions of dedicated players of “Fortnite” by Epic Games have been down in a rut when the game servers were shut down. All that would greet regulars when firing up the game is the unchanging image of what seems to be a black hole in a dark screen. While this might be a source of frustration for some, at least the player community is sure that it is no error from the developers. After all, it seemed to be part of a script.

The “Fortnite” Battle Royale map as of the game’s “Season X” is notable for having what appears to be a meteor in an impact crater in the middle of the island. On Sunday, there was a visual display of activity in the meteor site, catching the attention of gamers actively playing at the time, just before it blew up and took the whole island with it at 2:00 PM, EST. Since that time all the “Fortnite” game has shown is that black hole image, making many players wonder how long the experience will stay down.

RIP Fortnite: Battle Royale

FULL LIVE REACTION TO THE END! pic.twitter.com/ifX4CJcnEK

— Jack “CouRage” Dunlop (@CouRageJD) October 13, 2019

At least patiently waiting “Fortnite” players will not be stuck with anything to do, if they are savvy gamers to the core. It has been discovered that entering the classic Konami game code at the black hole screen (Up, Up, Down, Down, etc.) will activate a mini-game that is reminiscent of another retro title, “Space Invaders.” Still, there are some “Fortniters” who are worried that the big update/reboot might wipe their character data and (more importantly) online purchases in their accounts. Sony PlayStation at least has assured their gamers that no such thing will happen. For now all any can do is wait until Epic Games has finished their changes.

Image courtesy of Forbes