Fortnite Battle Royale is a multiplayer game where players are put into a 100 person match and strive to be the last one standing. Players are able to play with up to three friends, but the player base has been declining for the past few years. On December 6th, Fortnite players became able to turn back the clock and experience the old seasons of the game again. For many North students, this represents an opportunity to relive part of their childhood. One of those students is senior Jett Pierce, who is skeptical that the game will succeed in feeling like the same nostalgic experience. 

“Everyday after school I would go home and play with my friends,” Pierce said, “I still like playing Fortnite occasionally, but since it was the start of Battle Royales, people were able to improve on it.”

Freshman Jack Walter agreed that Fortnite is not on the forefront of multiplayer games anymore. 

“Everyone plays different games today, people choose to play Madden and Call of Duty over Fortnite.” Walter said.

However, even though they both agree that the game will never reach its peak again, Walter and Pierce both expressed a willingness to return to the game with their friends. 

“I feel like [having friends to play with] is the most important part [of Fortnite], because the whole reason the game was created was to have fun,” Walter said. 

The friendship aspect of Fortnite is among its most appealing for Pierce and Walter, who both said that they had more fun playing the game when they were playing with other people. 

With the new seasons coming back out, there is a question as to how many people will boot up the game. Last year, when the original maps first returned, expectations were exceeded with the game seeing its all-time highest day of playing, with 44.7 million different users online according to Fortune magazine. However, Walter is skeptical that that original feeling can be recaptured and the number can be surpassed. 

“It’s going to be hard for [the feeling] to be brought back because people choose to be better [at the game] than have fun,” Walter said. “People cared more about having fun.”

With its ability to provide fun with friends, a nostalgic look at the past, and great memories such as the first win, which Pierce and Walter can both recount in detail, the return of Old Fortnite will be of interest to many North students.