Fortnite downtime ends as new season begins

Planned downtime is over

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What you need to know

Epic Games confirmed early on Thursday thatFortnitewould be going down for scheduled maintenance, as the team prepared for the release of Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 2. After being down for several hours, the game is now back up online, and players can head out and experience the new season.

Initially announced onFortnite’s subreddit, Epic revealed that downtime would start at 4 AM EST on February 20. According to Epic, the patch sizes for the new season are set to be larger than normal, so players looking to update their game should set aside some space and time to do so.

Normally, Fortnite spends some time going through its seasonal changes, but this time around, Epic seemed to get through the maintenance quicker than normal. However, some players still seem to be encountering some bugs, to which Epic has said that they will be investigating any issues and releasing a status update once they are resolved.

We are investigating server performance issues causing freezes for some players.We will provide a status update once these are resolved.pic.twitter.com/fZwAZyNekmWe are investigating server performance issues causing freezes for some players.We will provide a status update once these are resolved.pic.twitter.com/fZwAZyNekm— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus)February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

In the meantime, players who are able to get into Fortnite can begin checking out what the latest season has.Chapter 2 - Season 2has a ton of new content in it, including the addition of several new cosmetic skins, the promise of Deadpool joining the game in the future, and of course, a brand new Battle Pass.

Much like past seasons, this Battle Pass will also offer a ton of perks, including new skins, emotes, weapon skins, and of course, V-Bucks, meaning that if you complete the Battle Pass for Season 2, you’ll be able to pick up the Battle Pass for Season 3 at no cost. If you haven’t had the chance to jump on yet, then prepare to download a sizable update and then experience some new things in Fortnite!

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Anthony Nash has been writing about games and the gaming industry for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing about games, he’s usually playing them. You can find him on Twitter talking about games or sports at@_anthonynash.