The Summer Fortnite Theory That Might Actually Be True

Fortnite is one of the most frequently updated live service games in existence, but not all of the updates have fans. Some players believe Epic Games is strategic with its Fortnite updates, and that some of the changes the studio rolls out — changes that aren't always welcomed with open arms — have a hidden agenda.

Here's the accusation: Fortnite is purposely going more casual during the summer months. Not like, it's putting on a pair of khakis and a polo shirt; casual in the sense that the Fortnite is becoming easier to play during the summer so that the game reaches as many people as possible.

It's an interesting theory, isn't it? A player named RocketHops pointed to a number of weapons adjustments as evidence, claiming that Epic Games made "non skill based" weapons plentiful during the summer, and then "changed most of this back to please the more hardcore audience again" later on.

And looking at the current meta, you could argue that Epic has been trying to do the same thing with the B.R.U.T.E. mechs. The studio itself admitted that the mechs are in the game so that more people have a chance to win a round of Fortnite, and seeing as they came along during the summer (at the beginning of August, to be exact), their presence lends more oxygen to this idea that Fortnite wants to shrink the skill gap during this period of time.

You may be wondering... why the summer, though? The answer is because of summer break. Kids make up a large portion of the Fortnite audience, and when school is out of session in June, July, and August, many kids have nothing but time on their hands. That is time they could be spending on Fortnite, and if the game suddenly feels more approachable, even to those who rarely play it, those people will likely continue playing.

We'll definitely be keeping an eye on this, especially when next summer rolls around and new changes come to Fortnite. If Epic adds more casual elements to the game at that time, only to remove them later, the players peddling this theory might be onto something.