Fortnite Players Got The Biggest Season Ending Event Ever Yesterday

Fortnite: Chapter 2's Season 3 has been unlike ones that came before it. Other seasons have give players lore-filled storylines that culminated in map changes like last season's The Device flood-causing live event. Season 3 hasn't had much of a story at all, until yesterday.

"This thing is better than a season ending event," Redditor HappyBananaBoi joked about Epic Game's fight against Apple yesterday.

The Fortnite developer orchestrated a public back-and-forth with the tech giant after lowering the price of V-Bucks and setting up direct payments in order to get around paying Apple their 30% cut of sales on the App Store. Apple and Google both pulled Fortnite from their storefronts in response--Epic Games then filed lawsuits against both companies.

Epic also showcased a parody of Apple's 1984 commercial mocking the company in Fortnite's Party Royale mode yesterday to top it all off.

"This is the end of season event," said Redditor saucygh0sty. Players were preparing for The Device event at this time last season, but now Android and iOS players won't be able to participate in Season 4 unless Apple and Epic figure this out quickly.

Season 3 has already been rocky. Its start date and The Device event were delayed multiple times, the Joy Ride update that brought cars to the game was also delayed, and the content that has been released has been a mishmash of themes unlike the storylines of previous seasons. The delays could have been caused by the pandemic, although Epic hasn't commented on how COVID-19 has affected its development cycles.

The entire map flooding, an astronaut crash-landing in the ocean, and the introduction of cars don't have much in common in terms of an overarching storyline. While story and lore are far from the most important things in battle royales, Fortnite's live events and storylines are a big reason why many players stick around. Some players have complained that partnerships, like the one with DC that resulted in an Aquaman skin and a rumored Wonder Woman skin, have been a bigger priority lately.

Up until yesterday it seemed like Season 3 was going to end quietly next week, but now Epic has grabbed players' attention without updating the game. The #FreeFortnite hashtag isn't trending on Twitter, but players are joking about vaulting apples from the game, writing #FreeFortnite in-game with building materials, and even smashing their iPads in order to do "[their] part in Fortnite Vs. Apple"

It's unlikely we'll get an in-game event before the end of the season, but players are more than occupied with Fortnite's real-life updates to care.