Fortnite's New Storm Flip Grenade Promptly Removed From Competitive Play

What can we say? Epic Games flies by the seat of its pants when it comes to Fortnite, and sometimes, items that are little too overpowered get added to the game. Now Epic is removing one of those items from competitive play, and you might be able to guess which one it is.

Hint: it's the Storm Flip grenade.

According to VG247, Epic Games will be turning off Storm Flip grenades in competitive games this weekend, just in time for those who want to take part in the World Cup Online Open and Arena modes. And really, the move isn't a total shocker. Storm Flips have been fairly controversial, with some players outright saying they're broken. And when you learn a bit about how they work, you might agree.

The Storm Flip grenade was added in Update v9.20 this week, and let's just say it changes the game pretty dramatically. When it explodes, it creates a giant sphere that turns safe zones into storm zones, and vice versa. The zone is fairly large, deals damage to those inside (if it goes the storm route), and lasts for 20 seconds, which can feel like an eternity in a Fortnite match. Toward the tail ends of matches, when players are trying to out-build each other and create cover, the Storm Flip can instantly turn any save haven into a dangerous place. And if you get caught in the effects of one, you either have to take damage (which makes you easier to kill), or move out of the Storm Flip's range, which means you might have to leave cover and deal with all the bullets flying your way.

It's not a pleasant thing to experience. And because Storm Flips are essentially the luck of the draw and not every player can end up with one, those who find a Storm Flip have a significant advantage over their opponents.

Fortunately, it appears the competitive side of Fortnite will at least get a reprieve; for now, anyway. It's possible Epic could tweak the Storm Flip grenades to be less potent. It's also possible Epic could decide they're far too powerful to exist in the game and remove them entirely. Both have happened with new items in the past, but we'll have to wait and see which direction Epic goes this time.

We'll keep you up to speed should any new Fortnite updates drop.