Fortnite OG will officially return to Chapter 1 on November 3rd

After weeks of teases, Epic Games has officially confirmed Fortnite will be returning to its roots. That is, the hit battle royale game will be returning to its roots for the upcoming season, which has thus far been referred to as “Fortnite OG.”

Epic Games announced the return to Chapter 1 with a simple post on social media, which also confirmed that the new season will begin on November 3, 2023.

Specifics about Fortnite OG have not yet been detailed, but packages sent to influeners and content creators may have contained hints about what we can expect. It’s widely believed that the update will take players to a map inspired by Fortnite Chapter 1.

The packages contained pins that referenced Chapter 1 Seasons 5 through 10, suggesting that this update — which arrives about a month before Season 5 — could take us through the Chapter 1 timeline.

Now it’s worth noting that many of the features we have in Fortnite today were not around back in Chapter 1. Modern movement mechanics, like sprinting, mantling and sliding — which were added in Chapter 3 — will remain in the game. To account for those who play the Zero Build mode, the map will also feature things like ziplines in order to reach places that you’d normally have to build to get to.

While the update will begin with Chapter 1 Season 5, it’s expected that the map will continue to evolve over the one-month season. The loot pool is expected to change alongside the map with weapons reflecting what were available in each of the Chapter 1 seasons.

It’s clear that with this update, Epic Games is trying to return to the glory days of Fortnite. While the battle royale game is still popular, it’s not nearly what it once was. Early Fortnite seasons were some of my favorite gaming moments. While the return of these iconic old-school map locations would certainly jog some wonderful memories, I’m not sure sure it can recapture the same mood or player interest.