Another day, another victory for the OGs.

After years of wishing and begging from the community, Fortnite has finally done what many considered impossible — traveling back in time.

On Nov. 3, 2023, “Fortnite” concluded its fourth chapter with the release of its 27th season, titled “Fortnite: OG”. However, something was different about this season compared to the others; rather than going to the next chapter and introducing a new map, players were shocked to find that they were back on the original map.

“I started playing again to experience what I enjoyed the most about the game several years ago,” Senior Will Stewart stated.

Somehow, after being completely destroyed in Season X, the map was back to its original state, housing the same graphics, locations, and items from its era — a stark contrast to the current state of the game.

Ian Marshall, a senior at State High, gave his opinion on this change.

“I think “Fortnite” has always been a great game with building and its mechanics, but it was too complicated for me with all of the new mythic weapons and NPCs, so I liked that they simplified it.”

This opinion was seemingly shared by many others, as on the day of its release, the game hosted nearly 6 million concurrent players, ending its first weekend with over 44 million total people having played. Epic Games, the studio behind the game, revealed that throughout the month, over 100 million people logged in.

This meteoric rise in popularity was not missed by State High. On Nov. 30, Marshall hosted a “Fortnite” tournament with 100 State High students spanning all grade levels competing for first place.

One major way this season differed from the rest due to its length and place within the “Fortnite” timeline. Whereas most seasons last around three months and are categorized into numbered chapters, “Fortnite: OG” only lasted one month and was not considered a part of any chapter, standing alone as its own thing.

Regardless of its unique nature, the season still featured many of the staples of the other seasons, notably collaborations. This season saw the likes of Eleven, Omni-Man, and even Eminem joining the roster of outfits available for purchase.

“I feel like collaborations add more to the game and make it more fun to play,” Parker Martain, a senior at State High, said.

This season did not go out without a bang, as on Dec. 2, “Fortnite” hosted a live in-game event that users could experience. This event featured the second destruction of the original map, a performance by rapper Eminem, and even a playable LEGO segment. It is safe to say that many people wanted to watch this event, as evidenced by a nearly two hour long queue time to load into the game, leaving millions unable to play it for themselves.

The event’s ending was used to turn off the servers until the following day to get the game ready for its next chapter and season titled “Underground”. While each “Fortnite” chapter adds new mechanics and gameplay, some feel that this season went too far with its changes to the game.

“I gave it a chance,” Marshall explained, “but the new map is trash, and the movement feels so weird. The pump is trash too, so I don’t know how much I’ll play this season.”

Like clockwork, as a new season releases, new collaborations join the “Fortnite” island. “Metal Gear Solid”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, and even “Family Guy” are just the first three collaborations this season, and more are expected to come. Despite its constant changes and additions, “Fortnite” manages to keep a consistent fanbase who play the game for one reason: fun.

The new map and game mechanics are just the start of the new things coming this season, however. For the first time since the addition of “Battle Royale” in 2017, “Fortnite” is introducing three new games within itself: a survival based LEGO game, a racing game, and a rhythm game, releasing on Dec. 7, 8, and 9 respectively. 

“I’ve kept playing because the game is fun,” Stewart said. “I feel like a lot of games aren’t fun anymore, so ‘Fortnite’ is a nice change of pace.”