Big Changes Are Coming To Fortnite In 2024

"Fortnite" has been entertaining gamers for a little bit under a decade at this point, and it's only continuing to grow in influence and ubiquity in 2024. Though new releases like "Palworld" have risen up to challenge "Fortnite" on the player charts of platforms like Steam and Xbox Game Pass, "Fortnite" still has some tricks up its sleeve to ensure that longtime fans don't get bored. "Fortnite" smashed a new personal record during 2023's "Fortnite OG" event, racking up more than 44.7 million players in a single day, and Epic Games seems poised to follow that up with some exciting changes.

Epic's 2024 plans go beyond fleshing out some of its newer game modes, including the shockingly great "Lego Fortnite" and "Rocket Racing." This year, Epic Games' monster hit will also be bringing back some old favorites and pushing the envelope on its ever-popular "Battle Royale" mode. From rumored updates to huge collabs with major studios, here's what we're expecting to make "Fortnite" truly "Epic" in 2024.

In 2023, "Fortnite" released a treat for fans who have been with the game since the beginning: "Season OG." This acted as something of a greatest hits season, bringing back fan-favorite map features and unvaulting a number of weapons, vehicles, and gadgets that haven't been seen in a while. The nostalgic season was a monumental hit, to the point where Epic Games is already planning to bring it back in 2024 — this time with a few twists.

This isn't just a case of wishful thinking on the parts of players, either. Epic Games celebrated the success of "Fortnite OG" in 2023 by outright saying that it would happen again in the following year. Building off of this announcement, "Fortnite" dev Saxs Persson told Axios, "It's just a matter of how and when, and how do we make it so it's not just the same." It remains to be seen how "Fortnite" will spice up an already-exciting trip down memory lane, but gamers will want to keep their eyes peeled.

Ngl the OG season far exceeded our expectations.

So much so that we'd like to bring it back... *opens 2024 roadmap doc*

In the meantime, see you on the Battle Bus 🤙

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) December 2, 2023

"Fortnite" has joined forces with the House of Mouse, signaling even more huge changes on the horizon for the beloved battle royale game. As The Walt Disney Company revealed during a February 2024 earnings call and subsequent press release, the multimedia giant has bought a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games with the express purpose of creating a whole world of Disney-related content within "Fortnite." According to the release, "the new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar and more. Players, gamers and fans will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love."

It's not clear exactly how these new elements will be implemented or when they will roll out, but it's one heck of a shot in the arm to kick off 2024. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, this new Disney partnership was a no-brainer, due to the company's previous experience in gaming and collaborative efforts. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed to CNBC that the development process may take a few more years, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Epic and Disney's collaboration begin to bear fruit as early as 2024. A trailer announcing the new universe has already been released, combining footage from Disney's films and "Fortnite" character skins of Disney and Marvel characters. As more details become available, "Fortnite" players can probably expect more Disney characters to join the island in the near future.

There's a strong possibility that "Fortnite OG" won't be the only major new mode debuting this year, as fans are still awaiting the long-rumored first-person mode. FPS fans have been making do by either modding "Fortnite" on PC or toggling the game's camera settings to emulate a first-person viewpoint, but they might not have to do that for much longer. Dataminers are fairly certain that Epic is finally going to implement this as a separate playing mode, as elements of this mode have surfaced in the game's code a few times in the last couple of years. In other words, it seems like Epic Games has been working on this for quite a while. Maybe it's finally time to release it to the world in 2024.

In today's update, Epic Games has added new files for a first-person mode in Battle Royale.

(Thanks to @AyeTSG for making me aware of this) pic.twitter.com/bG3ClFxbbD

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) January 31, 2023

Sure, using this FPS mode would come at the cost of not being able to see all your hard-earned character skins. Still, for fans who are ready to shake things up a bit, First-Person Mode would finally bring the perspective shift that players have enjoyed in "Creative" and "Save The World" modes to "Battle Royale" in a meaningful way. Fingers crossed that the most recent leaks are correct and the wait isn't too much longer. Introducing a game-changing mode like this could make for an interesting contrast to the cozy nostalgia of "Fortnite OG."

In addition to First-Person Mode, "Fortnite" dataminers have also found evidence in the game's code to suggest that Epic Games will soon change up the ways in which players get around the map. Rumored upcoming traversal mechanics include wall-running and rappelling using a rope or grappling hook. Verticality is sometimes the name of the game when trying to survive a round in "Fortnite," but losing that high ground can be deadly. What better way to avoid fall damage than by rappelling down the side of your newly-constructed base? Some sources say rope-swinging and rappelling may be added before the next season debuts.

In addition to Rope Swinging, Epic is working on Rope Rappelling as a new Chapter 5 movement mechanic

You'll be able to climb up ropes that you can find around the map. This does include the swinging ropes/chandeliers from the previous tweet.#Fortnite pic.twitter.com/wUCA1AUk9Z

— Wenso (@Wensoing) December 29, 2023

If those additions don't sound exciting enough, then how about a side of "GTA" with your "Fortnite" gameplay? Leakers also suggest that players will soon be able to hijack other players' vehicles, presumably expelling the driver and absconding with their car. If this is true, vehicular warfare is about to become even more gloriously chaotic in "Fortnite."

Epic is working on a new Car Hijacking feature

- You'll be able to hijack other players cars
- It has a cooldown and the action can be cancelled
- A hijacking can fail if the driver takes a sharp turn or if the car goes too fast

(via @Loolo_WRLD & @BeastFNCreative)#Fortnite pic.twitter.com/apnSOxB4rN

— Wenso (@Wensoing) December 30, 2023