Quick take:
- Fortnite is removing buildability from the second season of chapter 3.
- Zero Point Order’s evil Dr Sloane has disabled everyone’s ability to build structures.
- Epic Games said players will now use Overshield on top of their Shield and Health for cover.
One of Epic Games’ most popular titles Fortnite may be pivoting to the metaverse based on the giant video game developer’s decision to remove a key component from the games’ next instalment.
On Sunday, Epic released a statement informing its massive community that Fortnite will not support building in Chapter 3: Season 2.
Writing on a blog post published on the Epic Games website, the company said “building has been wiped out!” and told the gamers that a new feature Overshield would be used to maintain cover on top of their Shield and Health.
“The Overshield is your first line of defence: before your Shield and Health take a hit, it’s your Overshield that’ll crack. Your Overshield will still recover if it goes all the way down to 0,” it wrote.
Epic secured $1 billion in a funding round last year that attracted several backers including Sony. The company is building its own gaming metaverse called Megaverse. Although it is yet to launch its first title, Sunday’s move indicates it could be close.
The ability to build structures has been one of Fortnite’s most popular features. Therefore, the fact Epic Games is removing that ability in the upcoming instalment suggests bigger and better things are planned ahead.
Earlier this year, the Cary, NC-based video game company teamed up with Spire Animation Studios to build metaverse experiences. Spire is the creative force behind some of the greatest animation films including the Simpsons, Ratatouille, Cars 2, and Batman the Lego movie.
Epic Games also recently acquired music distribution platform Bandcamp to accelerate the development of its Megaverse experiential features.
Also announced together with the removal of building capability in the second season of Fortnite chapter 3 was higher sprinting speed and the introduction of mantling (parkour like movement).
Gaming experts think that although establishing Fornite gamers may not be too happy about the removal of buildability, the move could be tapping into the new generation of gamers.
According to players that are accustomed to the whole process of learning to and eventually building structures on Fortnite, it is one of the hardest processes in the game, potentially keeping some gamers off.
Therefore, removing this ability and replacing it with Overshield for protection could cast a wider net in the gaming industry accelerating community growth ahead of a potential metaverse launch.
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