The vibes in Fortnite have been very nostalgic recently, even though the game itself is not even a decade old. Despite its age, the development team at Epic Games clearly began focusing on the past, especially the original map.
Millions of early adopters of Fortnite Battle Royale spent countless hours building barriers and battling it out using this map. The map already saw a revival some months ago, but now, nearly a year later, it is becoming a permanent part of the game. This process, on the surface, has little impact on the user-generated content aspect of Fortnite Creative and its main tool, Unreal Editor for Fortnite. However, the general approach of Fortnite developers transmits a lot of valuable info to creators working in this field, and also companies that are investing more and more into UGC games and their niche audiences.
Epic Games will enter its revival process on December 6, 2024. At that point, Chapter 1 Season 1 of the game will return and the players will get to relive the original seasons.
Epic developers are looking to restart the first 10 seasons of the game over the months of 2025, possibly even beyond that. To the veteran players, this includes many fond memories, like the arrival of the iceberg, the meteorite hit and the volcano eruption, all taking place on the famous OG map and its quaint little town. These events and in-game moments have become a pop-culture phenomenon in their own right, and Epic Games rightly assessed that their value goes beyond the players who actually experienced them first-hand.
The decision to make Fortnite OG mode a permanent part of the game was not made in a vacuum. In November 2023, the company launched Fortnite OG as a stand-alone event and it was a smashing success. It saw nearly 45 million players in a 24-hour period, setting the best day for Fortnite since it came out. Epic Games was not willing to let go of a player engagement and player acquisition opportunity. These revivals, with the inclusion of new elements, like celebrity appearances and big digital performances, seem to hit the sweet spot between the old and the new.
Most recently, the game hosted music stars like Snoop Dogg and Eminem, adding even more clout to the events and multiplying their reach not just among games, but also in the general online audience.
The rehashing of Fortnite’s old content is not a foolproof strategy, however. Along with the revivals, Epic developers are still working on new content as well.
On Sunday, December 1, 2024, Fortnite Chapter 6 is expected to launch, with what is likely to be a strong Japanese theme. With this balancing act, Epic is probably hoping to keep the old players engaged and get new players on the platform. Otherwise, betting too much on the Original map and its content could be off-putting to new players. For UGC creators, however, both the new and the old are crucial for decision-making and thus the trajectory of the entire user-made gaming space.
The revivals inside of Fortnite are closely followed by companies trying to invest in Fortnite Creative. Examples like FOAD, a UGC game that recently generated substantial sums for its development, show that there are willing investors interested in user-generated spaces.
The resurgence of the OG map and the full mode will be a signal to offer value by providing past moments of glory to a new audience. For that to happen, the tools and assets are ready and available. Creators can easily find and use practically any of those original map elements, from buildings to items, and add them to their projects. That way, the original Fortnite feel is readily available. Nothing is stopping either UGC-focused companies or individual creators from piggybacking on this trend and offering their iteration of this wave of Fortnite nostalgia. After all, the monetization mechanism is already in place and now it is a question of catching and riding the same wave before it ultimately dissipates.
