When Fortnite released its battle royale version on Sept. 26, 2017, no one could have predicted what the game would come to. With a total count of over 500 million players ever, and generating over $25 billion in revenue, Fortnite became one of the most popular and lucrative video games ever. The game quickly rose to fame as a result of the uniqueness it brought to the gaming industry. Unlike other shooter games, Fortnite is not first-person and allows one to build structures to protect themselves from enemy fire. It was also free to play and allowed players to purchase skins and emotes to differentiate themselves from other players. 

Fortnite became a staple among middle and high school boys primarily, as they spent countless hours playing the game in hopes of achieving the coveted victory royale. Numerous players, such as senior Aydin Zakroczymski, are excited about this new season as they reminisce on some of the old memories of playing with friends. 

“Some of my favorite memories from this game were just getting victory royales with the boys,” Zakrocymski said.

The majority of the player base started playing during Chapter One, which lasted about two years, spanning 10 seasons. The game entered its fifth Chapter on Nov. 3, 2023, and brought back the map and lootpool from Chapter One. Due to the map returning, players are re-experiencing some of the memories they made during the first chapter of the game. Senior Anton Augusto had not played the game for years before they brought back the old map.

“I love the OG season, it brings me back to when I started playing during eighth grade and Covid,” Augusto said. 

As Fortnite became more popular over the years, they tried to find new ways to improve their game. This led to a lot of collaborations and new features in the game, which made it hard for the average player to stay connected. Senior Zamora Rodriguez has played the game since season four and loves the return of old Fortnite, especially as the game became more complicated and confusing.

“I actually enjoy playing Fortnite again,” Rodriguez said. “I felt like there was too much going on in the more recent seasons and it was hard to keep up with.”

As the game will surely change, the older players will covet every moment of playing the game, as they never know when it might leave and never return.