IMAGE BY ALOPA RAO (‘25)

Peely, a popular Fortnite skin doing its famous waving pose.

In the ever-changing world of online gaming, only a few video
games tower over the scene. One of the most famous is Fortnite, a battle royale-based video game created by the company Epic Games. Epic Games is known for other popular apps such as
“Rocket League” and “Fall Guys”.

Fortnite is an addictive online game played alone or with a team of 2-4 people. When you enter the game word, you’re up against 100 other players from the area you
live in. For example, if you’re a New Jersey player, you’ll play on the Eastern North America servers. The objective of the game is to eliminate all the other players.

Fortnite has been a centerpiece in many people’s childhoods, a video game that was so popular at one point, that if you didn’t play you at least were aware of what the game was about. “I started back in season two, probably 2019,” said avid gamer Russell Brunkovsky (‘27). “It’s kind of nostalgic, I haven’t experienced it in six years,” he said.

Many gamers have eagerly waited for the return of OG “I’ve been playing every day for at least three
hours a day,”Fortnite. On Nov. 6., according to a tweet published by Epic Games, over 101 million people around the world played the game in the first three days
since the return of the season.

But what was “OG Fortnite” like? From 2017-19, the game was simple yet enjoyable. It reached its peak popularity thanks to popular YouTuber/streamers such as Ninja, Tfue and Mongraal.

Since then, the game has received 15 updates that have upset a lot of the community. The game was getting complicated, especially with the addition of NPC’s (non-playable characters) that you can interact with, and a new ability to edit your weapons.

The increasing skill level of some players also added to the community’s growing frustration. An average person who played the game a few hours a week couldn’t keep up.

“It was getting too hard …Too many sweats,” said Brandon Aleman (‘26), referring to people who play very competitively to the point where they are “sweating.” He said, “I would have just liked it tojust stay in the OG season.”

For some, the new updates have not kept them away from the game.“I’ve been playing ev-
ery day for at least three hours a day,” said Fortnite “sweat” Rohan Vellanki (‘27). “It’s brought back a lot of memories of the sole game that we all used to love.”

But for most, the game was becoming unplayable and the number of players dropped. So when the “OG Fortnite” season was released, both current and old players were happier than ever.

But what makes this season so special to so many? Vellanki explains that the feeling of rushing home to hop on a party with your buddies always resulted in some of the best memories.

Not only has Fornite created countless memories, it has also been a safe space for its players. Aleman said that the game has been with him through his highs and lows.

As the OG season drew to a close on Dec. 2., the feeling was bittersweet.
“We went home,” said Vellanki.

PHOTO BY LOUIS BARRANDON (‘27)