Fortnite Playground LTM Still Not Ready; Epic Shares Latest Update

Fortnite developer Epic has provided another update on the status of the delayed Playground mode. The limited-time game mode was originally scheduled to launch alongside Fortnite's 4.5 update last week, but it appears there are still a few issues that need to be ironed out before it can be implemented in the live game. [Update: Playground mode is finally live in Battle Royale.]

In a post on Reddit, Epic explained that its work on the mode is progressing well, but there remain a few "data anomalies" that need to be resolved. "We have some system performance goals that we believe are required in order to relaunch the Playground LTM," the developer wrote. "We've continued working towards these goals over the weekend and our most recent load tests look promising, but there are some anomalies in the data that we still need to understand."

The developer also says that it needs to conduct further tests to ensure Playground mode is in a state that can be released. Specifically, Epic says it needs to test how the mode fares in certain scenarios, such as when server capacity has been exhausted, before it can be added to the rotation.

"It's hard to know whether we'll have to make any additional system changes in order to meet our test goals right now," Epic wrote. "We won't know that for sure until after we complete our current testing phase, which will be done in a few hours. Once this phase has completed we will know more about where we stand and be able to provide a status update. The team is hard at work and we'll let you know when we have anything else that we can share."

As previously mentioned, Epic intended to launch Playground mode alongside Fortnite's 4.5 patch last Wednesday; however, shortly after the mode went live, it was pulled from the rotation due to technical issues, and it has remained unavailable since. According to Epic, the mode is now slated to launch sometime this week.

Unlike previous limited-time game modes in Fortnite, Playground mode is a "low-pressure environment" that acts much like a private server. Players can freely explore the map and devise strategies with their friends in Playground without having to worry about being eliminated by other players.

Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is scheduled to begin this month, on July 12. Ahead of the new season, players began noticing some ominous warning signs in the game, including a countdown clock that culminated in the launch of a rocket this past weekend. The launch resulted in a number of a mysterious cracks appearing in the sky over the island, with additional rifts opening up over the map in the days that followed.