OPINION: Fortnite needs to revert to the OG map

By Ayaan Sait ‘24

The Original “OG” Fortnite Map.
Courtesy of GameRant.

I think that Fortnite: Battle Royale is one of the best games ever created. However, I think that it's essential the game returns to the original “OG” map. Fortnite will never be as good without it.

Since 2018, Fortnite: Battle Royale has been at the forefront of the gaming industry. It has amassed over 400 million unique users on the game and has an average of 236 million active monthly users.

It’s safe to say that Fortnite is one of the most popular games ever created.

Fortnite was created as a PvE (player vs environment) mode called Save the World in 2017. The game was unique because it had a building element, which captivated players' attention.

Fortnite's popularity skyrocketed with the introduction of "Fortnite: Battle Royale" on Sep. 26, 2017. This free-to-play mode dropped 100 players onto an island where they fought to be the last person or team standing. Players were attracted to the simplicity of the game and the building aspect I touched on before.

I was one of these players who fell in love with the game in 2018. I don’t know the exact number, but I’ve probably played over 1,500 hours of Fortnite. I loved how basic the game was, and at the time in 2018, it felt like everyone in the whole world was playing, so I had to as well.

A defining aspect of the game in 2018-2019 was the map. It was unlike any other game. It featured a perfect mix of mobility, visual beauty, and iconic locations like Tilted Towers.

Screenshot of Tilted Towers, arguably the most iconic location in Fortnite.
Courtesy of Xavier News.

I have countless memories of playing Fortnite. I look back on the year 2018 fondly for a large part due to the countless memories of playing Fortnite. And I'm not the only one who feels this way...

“Right when it came out, I would play almost every night downstairs with my brothers. We would rotate each game until we died. We were terrible, and so was everyone else, but it was really fun,” said junior Tyler George.

However, in late 2019, Fortnite changed forever. The OG map had been removed and Fortnite went on to a new map. I played this map during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but it didn’t compare. Fortnite never felt the same, and after school went back in person I slowly stopped playing.

Many players did the same as me. George stated that aside from a few “phases of a week or so” he had not been playing. Senior Nick Cover said that “the game had become awful.” Ninth grader Jacob Rada said that he “played, but not as much.”

After nearly four years since the original Fortnite, the OG map came back in November 2023 for around a month. It was an instant success, with over 44.7 million players playing in one day. Fortnite broke its record, reaching a concurrent player-count record of over 5 million players.

I was one of these players who decided to return for OG Fortnite. It was not the same as 2018, but I had the most amount of fun I had in an extremely long time. All my friends were playing again, and we even had a get-together to play Fortnite together.

George stated, “It was really fun. It brought back a lot of nostalgia from the old game.” Senior Owen Chenoweth shared this sentiment, stating that, “OG Fortnite brought back a lot of old memories.”

“It wasn’t what it was like back in the day, but it definitely improved the game. It was so much fun and brought back a lot of memories,” said Cover.

The month of November blew by extremely fast, and just like that on December 2, Fortnite OG was gone again. I gave the new season of Fortnite a try, but it just isn’t as fun as Fortnite OG and now I barely ever play the game again.

Simply put, Fortnite, outside of the OG mode, loses what made it so iconic and popular: its simplicity. The item shop is filled with outside collaborations, the guns are new and complicated, and the map could be better in my opinion.

This is because I believe that the map is too big, has too many locations, and does not have the same spark as the old map. Some issues that I have run into while playing Chapter 5 are the lack of heals, how the map is too large, and I find the graphics unappealing.

“I definitely think Fortnite should return to OG. If it returns, without a doubt I’ll be playing again,” said Cover.

Now, I recognize that games need to change and can’t be fully original forever. I understand this, and I do like some of the features Fortnite has added in the last few years such as the driving mechanic. “I think Fortnite OG should return, but have some of the new aspects of the game as well,” said Rada.

I agree with Rada’s perspective, but I do not want Fortnite to have too many new features, which in my opinion have ruined the game. For example, I appreciate the mantle mechanic, but I am not a fan of the new walking. I also believe that the game should use the original weapons created, instead of the watered-down new versions.

For example, the pump shotgun is an iconic Fortnite weapon and is my personal favorite. It was a part of the Fortnite OG loot pool but vaulted after the season. The current main shotgun in the game is the “Hammer Pump Shotgun” which is a clear ripoff and a worse version of the original pump.

Due to the success of Fortnite OG in 2023, Epic Games stated that they would bring it back in 2024. However, it’s unknown when it will happen or for how long. Hopefully this time, it's permanent.

In the end, regardless of whether or not OG Fortnite in 2024 is here to stay, I’ll forever be grateful to Fortnite for the endless amounts of memories, fun, and friendships it has helped cultivate for me. The game will always have a special place in my, and millions of others’ hearts.