What does 2018 07 12 mean in Fortnite?

The Fortnitemares 2023 update has led to players finding Kado Thorne’s Time Machine that features the mysterious date 2018 07 12, so here’s everything we know about what happened back then and what it means now.

Fortnite returned with its annual Fortnitemares event on October 10, 2023 bringing a plethora of exciting new additions to the game.

The fan-favorite update features Fortnitemares-specific quests, cosmetic rewards, LTM modes, a fully revamped UI, and more. Furthermore, the Halloween-themed classic items such as the Pumpkin Launcher and Witch Broom were also brought back to the game.

As players have dropped into the game for the highly anticipated event, so too have the leakers. They didn’t take long to find in-game info and items, such as a Time Machine, that points towards the original Chapter 1 maps returning to the game.

The Time Machine found on the island shows the date 2018 07 12 marked on it, but what does it mean? And exactly what happened on July 12, 2018 in the Battle Royale which is hyping up long-term fans of the game?

Here’s everything we know about the date 2018 07 12 and what it means for the future of Fortnite.

What happened on 12th July 2018 in Fortnite?

After only a few hours since the Fortnitemares update was released, one of the biggest easter eggs in a Time Machine was found at the Frenzy Fields POI. It is believed to belong to this season’s vampire boss and time traveler Kado Thorne.

Therefore, the date 2018 07 12 featured on the time machine is rumored to be where Kado Thorne will ultimately head back to in the upcoming season. More specifically, the date July 12, 2018 is in fact the exact date Chapter 1 Season 5 was released.

This would take Fortnite right back to its roots when its popularity was at an all-time high. The slogan for Season 5 was “Worlds Collide.” The theme was centered around different worlds colliding after the previous season’s lore had blasted the map apart which brought along major changes to the island from rifts.

A mysterious purple cube also appeared on the island, which was summoned through a giant rift in the sky, created by The Visitor’s rocket. Kevin The Cube became a fan-favorite item, and it slowly moved across the island during the season before eventually ending up at Loot Lake and dissolving into the water.

Season 5 featured new additions such as the Rift-To-Go, the Heavy Sniper rifle, an All-Terrain Kart, and the infamously overpowered double-barrel shotgun which is still vaulted in Chapter 4 Season 4.

As well as the original map POI Moisty Mire was replaced by the Desert, bringing in a new location with it called Paradise Palms. Similarly, Anarchy Acres was replaced by Lazy Links. None of these locations currently exist in the game.

It is not known why Kado Thorne would want to go back to this specific timeline in Fortnite canon. However, this would take the game five years back in the lore to a time when Battle Royale was at the peak of its popularity and it was drastically different.

That’s everything we know about what happened on 2018 07 12 in Fortnite and what it means for Battle Royale players!

We’ve also got plenty of tips and tricks available to help you out in the new season, so make sure to check out our guide content:

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