In Fortnite , the patch policy has become strange. The developers have repeatedly proven that they are not afraid of radical, sweeping updates, only to cave in and retract the changes when the backlash is loud enough. What’s behind this?
How does Epic patch? Epic actually patches Fortnite every week – but only every other week does a real update come:
- At the start of a season, a major update with a full number is released – here Epic brings the big features of a season
- Every 2 weeks, a patch is released that brings new items, removes old ones, or implements larger changes
- In between, weekly “content updates” are released that usually change just a little bit in Fortnite
Epic wants to be radically different
The amazing thing is: Epic wants to keep its game Fortnite fresh by any means necessary. In Season X, the patches are particularly radical. Epic’s stated goal is this quarter:
- To also give “weak” players a chance to win and collect successful experiences
- To limit the advantages of “strong” players
Here is how Fortnite aims to weaken the “strong” players: Just in this season, there have been two major patch changes:
- Right with Season 10, the “Mechs” came to Fortnite, extremely powerful vehicles that could decide a match
- On August 28th, Epic also announced, changing turbo building, so that the strongest players with top ping no longer have such a significant advantage
This very pattern of radical changes can also be observed in past seasons:
- Epic has already brought a powerful sword to Fortnite – and announced that it will continue with more “legendary items” in the same manner
- established a predecessor of the Mech with the airplanes
- introduced advantages for aggressive players, then removed them from the game
Twitch Streamers and Pros are taking up the pitchforks
This is the reaction: Every time such a change occurs, a powerful backlash descends on Epic. The Twitch streamers and Fortnite pros mobilize their followers. In the worst case, they threaten to strike or just play Uno.
Streamers complain that Epic really has no idea what they are doing. They are driving the game into the ground.
The demand is then often: “Revert” – take the patch back. A few weeks ago, the hashtag “RemoveTheMechs” even trended on Twitter.
This protest incites other users on reddit, Twitter, or YouTube, and the sentiment boils over social media.
Here’s how Epic reacts: Epic’s response to all these things is to initially stand firm, but ultimately to cave in.
It seems Epic is following a plan. They let the controversial change stay online for a few days before ultimately giving in and altering it. Often, they seek a compromise:
- they held on to the Mechs firmly at first, then reduced their spawn rate in arena mode, and ultimately hit them with the nerf hammer
- They corrected the turbo building just after one day
- previous changes were usually reverted after some back and forth
- only a few “season-important” changes, like the baller or the airplanes, remained in the game for a full 10 weeks – but they had to endure nerfs over and over again
Fortnite: Patch first, ask later
What’s behind this: Epic must now know how the Fortnite community reacts to such radical changes that come at the expense of “good players”. But apparently, they keep trying and boldly push forward with their updates.
They patch, so to speak, “by sight” and react to the movement of the community:
- If everything stays calm, they leave the change in
- If there’s a roar, they retract the change
This strange “shoot first, ask later” style keeps Fortnite constantly in discussion, but it also puts a lot of pressure on the community’s mood.
The advantage for Epic is:
- The game remains genuinely fresh this way
- Fortnite is constantly discussed and stays in the media
The disadvantage for Epic is:
- they are constantly flamed on social media
- and there’s a permanent unrest in the game
- the pressure on the developers is apparently extremely high – they have to work overtime to revert changes
Apparently, Epic is willing to accept this for the moment. If it’s madness, it at least has a method.
