Fortnite’s newest season might be its best yet, but there’s one big problem

Fortnite has released another Marvel season and it’s generated a lot of hype among players. Still, there’s one big problem – the current lore.

Fortnite’s newest season continues the game’s tradition of amazing collabs. This time Absolute Doom comes to the looped island, along with some iconic Marvel heroes, and kit that will give you their special powers and weapons.

However, despite the popularity of the theme, and fans riding the Marvel hype train after the stellar success of Deadpool & Wolverine, there’s a concerning problem that threatens to undermine its success − Fortnite’s stale lore.

One of the reasons behind Fortnite’s popularity lies in the adaptability of the game’s story and the characters tied to it. The game is built on the concept of an ever-evolving world that changes with every update and keeps players hooked.

However, right after a Mad Max-inspired season, comes a Marvel one, which may risk alienating players who value a cohesive narrative.

Oh Zero Point, what have you done?

Fortnite’s lore has always been one of the most interesting parts of the game. The storyline has progressed through sensational live events and epic map changes, that have left players guessing about what’s next. 

Despite the chaos, the game’s early seasons retained a sense of evolution, with each event building on the previous one.

The Zero Point saga, the introduction of Kevin The Cube, and even the appearance of The Seven all had a feeling of continuity, resulting in a plot that, while occasionally odd, seemed like it was headed someplace.

However, as Fortnite has expanded, so has the complexity of its lore, often at the expense of player involvement. The story has grown more and more difficult to follow, with abrupt and confusing switches in focus and tone. 

One season, we’re rescuing Peely from an evil faction, the next, we’re battling Greek gods, and then we’re forced into a Mad Max-style wasteland. While variation is appealing, the lack of a cohesive, linear plotline has made it difficult for players to get emotionally involved in the game’s story.

I still remember the season when all we had to do was save the thing that was holding the island together − Zero Point, so we could prevent the looped island from being obliterated.

However, since then we’ve faced Galactus, Kymeras, The Cube Queen, and even the Imagined Order; the whole thing’s become rather confusing.

Dedicated Fortnite players who had been there since the beginning, believed Donald Mustard was carefully leading us to an epic finale. Unfortunately since, our beloved loremaster left Epic, Zero Point seems to have fallen into dark times.

As a result, the Story Quests in both Chapters 4 and 5 made no sense. Even worse since the player base was used to completing challenges that culminated in a spectacular conclusion, they began to view the current story as nothing more than an XP grind. This is where the lore lost its significance.

With great power, comes great responsibility

The transition between the seasons has also been quite abrupt. Earlier we were given in-game events that eased into the downtime of a new seasonal update.

Now it’s just flashy trailers, gameplay, and million-dollar collabs with seemingly no concern for the users.

After watching Season 4’s trailer I thought to myself, okay, so Doctor Doom has returned to the island − swell. Jonesy is Captain America − right, why not, I can see it. Peely is now a Wolverine variant − wait what the heck?

It’s getting really confusing for me, an OG Fortnite player, about Epic’s motives with lore and where is it gonna go in the new season. 

Regardless, I believe there is great potential with the new Fortnite season that simply needs to be carefully and intentionally harnessed. If Fortnite manages to properly establish its story, Chapter 5 Season 4 has the potential to be remembered as one of the game’s most remarkable accomplishments. 

However, should the lore become stale as the season marches on, there is a chance that it will be regarded as a missed opportunity and Epic can ‘Take the L’ back home.