Following the dramatic events of the weekend, in which Fortnite was destroyed by a black hole, the popular battle royale continues to, uh, not be there.
The game is still down, the social media channels are still completely dark, and the official website continues to show nothing more than a livestream of the aforementioned black hole just sitting there doing whatever it is a black hole does. Incidentally, it's currently being watched by over 50,000 people which, come on guys, go outside for a bit.
Now, it's obvious to most of us that Fortnite isn't actually gone forever, and that developer Epic Games has simply managed to use this whole black hole guff as a way to turn the necessary downtime into some kind of massive, newsworthy event. Honestly, it's genius and whoever came up with it needs a raise, because more people are talking about the game than have in quite some time.
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It's not entirely clear what Epic Games has up its sleeves for Fortnite, post-black hole, but a leak late last week suggested that the game would be getting a big overhaul under the name Fortnite Chapter 2.
This big new update, according to a leaked image on the Italian Apple Store, would likely introduce a brand new map. This would explain the lengthy downtime, and the fact that the old map was just destroyed by a black hole.
A brand new map for Fortnite Chapter 2 now seems all but certain, as yet another leak has revealed all the new things coming in the new chapter's first season.
This is according to the SkinTrackerCom Twitter account (via PC Gamer), who appeared the leak the actual trailer for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1 last night. The video has since been removed, but PC Gamer reported all of the interesting new details tucked away inside.
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The first big thing to note is that the new season will indeed introduce a brand new map, with a big focus on water - and boats, apparently. It also looks like we'll finally be able to swim in the new update, as there's footage of players swimming and paddling around.
On top of that, we also see co-op emotes, the ability to carry downed players, a new progression system, improved stealth, and players getting around on pogo sticks which, to be fair, is the least crazy thing Fortnite has done in a while.
Oh, and if that's not enough for you, the game's cinematic trailer also seems to have managed to leak online ahead of the official reveal. I'm not sure who at Epic is in charge of stopping these things from getting out before they're supposed to, but... yeah. Take a look below for a better look at the new map in action.
Given the way these leaks are getting more frequent, I'd wager the official reveal will be anytime in the next few hours. Let's hope Fortnite continues to thrive after the events of the black hole, and those 50,000 people can stop watching a livestream of nothing and go back to feeling like they're actually doing something with their lives.
Topics: epic games, Fortnite, Battle Royale