The much awaited Fortnite update ‘Chapter 2, Season 1’ has been released meaning the game is back online after a two day ‘black-out’ that saw gamers go into ‘meltdown’.
More than five million gamers were left dumbfounded on Sunday as the 10th season of Fortnite went out with a bang.
Fans of the hit Epic Games program wondered if their game was deleted when the island that plays host to the online battle royale was destroyed, leaving nothing but a black screen.
But now it seems their fears were unfounded as the new chapter is released by Epic, the game’s creators, revealing a newly designed map where it appears users can jump on pogo sticks, use boats and go fishing.
A character which appeared to be made out of goo features in the new update
Released at around 12.00 midday today the update is likely to get a large surge of downloads as players get home from school later to find it is available.
The game offers new ways to level up – as the trailer featuring players who appear to get medals for a headshot, opening a treasure chest, and chopping down a tree.
New ‘skins’ are also expected to be available on the update – outfits to use in the game.
Epic are reported to have sacrificed millions of dollars of revenue in the days Fornite was offline in order to ramp up excitement among its community.
An unofficial trailer reveals a newly designed map where it appears users can jump on pogo sticks, use boats and go fishing
The new Battle Pass (phase of game play) is now available for download.
On Sunday parents of young Fornite fans were left to pick up the pieces after the game’s apparent ‘end’ caused their children to suffer ‘meltdowns’.
Many wondered whether their real world money had been wasted after they lost access to the ‘skins’ some had spent thousands of pounds on.
Speculation online showed what users claimed was a ‘leaked’ version of the new Fortnite map
Screenshots taken from the new trailer show new skins and a new map
The trailer also suggests there will be new ways to level up – featuring players who appear to get medals for a headshot
Unofficial sources say the new Battle Pass (phase of game play) will be available for download from Thursday October 17
Here characters can be seen fishing ,a feature which was not previously available
One mother tweeted: ‘Hey Fortnite people. Someone PLEASE explain? My son cried himself to sleep last night and I could just hold him.
‘He started again this morning when he still couldn’t get in. I woke him up extra early for this, so thanks a bunch. I hope you are having a great time.#fortnite’
Fortnite, released by US-based Epic Games in 2017, allows up to 100 players to fight individually or as part of a team to be the last standing on a virtual battlefield.
Worried parents took to Twitter to voice their concerns over how the black out had affected their children
The battlefield is active for seasons, which last for around 10 weeks at a time before a winner is crowned and the game resets.
Fortnite has become the most popular online game in the world, played by some 250 million people, including in tournaments with big cash prizes.
Sunday was a special day for players, who were eager to see ‘The End’ – the event that marked the finale of this season.
A meteor struck the island, obliterating the map at around 2pm Eastern time (7pm BST).
Players who have logged into the game since then found themselves staring at a blank screen, making them wonder if the plug has been pulled entirely.
In July a 15-year-old British gaming star who won almost £1million at the Fortnite World Cup in New York.
Jaden Ashman from Hornchurch, Essex, won a prize of $2.25million with his gaming partner from the Netherlands – giving them £900,000 each.
He told MailOnline he has spent ‘thousands of hours’ playing Fortnite after school and at weekends into the early hours.
WHAT IS FORTNITE?
Fortnite is a game that originally launched as a disk back in July 2017 and was then turned into a free-to-download game by its developer, Epic Games, in September.
There are three forms of the game: ‘Battle Royale’, ‘Save The World’ and ‘Playground’.
Save the world is the original form of the game and is currently not available to play as part of the free-to-download game, instead it comes as part of a £30 ($40) extra.
It is a co-op mode with a story that’s playable solo or online with friends.
Fortnite is a battle royale-style survival shooter where players create a superhero avatar and compete against each other on a dystopian island
Users compete in teams of up to three to complete a variety of missions.
It is rumoured that the game will be added to the free-to-play version of the game in the future.
Whilst Save The World may be the original version of the game, its sister mode is by far the most popular.
Battle Royale is a game of survival where players create a superhero avatar and compete against each other on a dystopian island.
Each game, or ‘match’ as each competition is known, starts with 100 players.
The aim of the game is to be the last one standing. Users can form allegiances and play in small groups.
To enable this and the interactive experience, the game allows completely open communication between players.
Inspired by the Hunger Games novels and films, gamers search for weapons to help them survive.
Armed with quirky weapons and amusing dances, the game has swept across the gaming world, with children flocking to it.
While there is no exact figure on how many children play Fortnite, the game has so far pulled in an audience of over 125 million players.
Playground is the latest addition to the game and is a consequence free mode with more loot and unlimited respawning to allow players to get creative.
It involved groups of up to four people working as a team and the players can hone their skills as the practise in advance of entering Battle Royale where they will face better players.