Servers are back online after some brief downtime this morning
Fortnite developer Epic Games launched the game’s third season of content this morning. That followed a brief period of downtime as Epic scrambled to stabilize the new patch. Fortnite ’s free update applies new content to the Save the World and Battle Royale game modes, including new avatars and collectibles as well as a few subtle tweaks to the game.
The announcement came via Twitter this morning around 6 a.m. ET that season 3 had launched. Less than 30 minutes later, the Fortnite Twitter account said that the servers would need to be taken offline.
We are currently investigating issues with this release and we are going offline while we investigate. We will be back as quickly as possible.
The outage lasted more than three hours before the servers came back online. Epic reports that systems are now back to normal. Polygon has reached out for more details.
Fortnite ’s third season includes the option to purchase a Battle Pass, which includes a bundle of cosmetic rewards without the need to acquire them through gameplay. That includes new space-themed skins. A Battle Pass will run you 950 V-Bucks, Fortnite ’s in-game currency. That’s the equivalent of $10 in real money. As players level up the pass, which should take between 75 and 150 hours, they will accumulate even more cosmetic equipment. Alternately, players can pay for those upgrades to the tune of nearly $150.
This update also includes a so-called “turbo building” mode, which must be turned on in the game’s menu. When active, players will be able to place the same item, like a wall or a ramp, quickly with the press of a single button. Another feature, called “Auto Change Materials,” will give the game permission to use another, more valuable building resource automatically once you run out.
