Is Fortnite OG bringing the players back?
With the first full season of the Fortnite new OG mode now finished and OG Season 2 having started at the beginning of February, it's worth a look back at the impact– both positive and negative, from skins to actual gameplay. The developers had a lot to consider given the skins had to be remixes from the original season but beyond that, they now also facilitate for the Zero Build game mode, needing to make the map more accessible to traverse. Season 2 was originally a key season in the game's life cycle, but can they recreate the hype with this remix?
The new OG mode takes the original map with original weapon pools with some special inclusions like the Zapatron. There is also a battle pass which consists of remixed items and skins from the original seasons.
On Reddit, the direct feedback from the community was divided by the reintroduction of this mode, with some pretty insightful replies such as user Nintendo_Pro_03 saying “It was.” while KarlRoberuk1964 argued “no”
Image: A humorous online interaction (Source: Reddit)
Among the community it's an argued fact that Season 2 was better than Season 1, after all it was just the same but with more content. This has also played a part in the opinions of the community, reddit user DrManfattan claimed they think it would have been better if they started with Season 2 instead. The second season saw the game add five brand new named locations along with some other minor map changes that all in all made the space feel fuller.
Image: DrManfattan gives his opinion on OG Fortnite (Source: Reddit)
One reply seemed to capture the thrill of nostalgic modes across all games in perfectly put words by saying, “you don't actually miss the mode you miss being young” and explained how “life was brighter when you're younger.”
“The map I once played, gives me the same weapons... but I'll never have the same friends... same home, same joy it had”
Image: A strangely thoughtful reply in the comments (Source: Reddit)
For some players it's not a case of nostalgia, many who didn't get to experience Chapter 1 Seasons 1 and 2 originally have made it clear their excitement of getting to see a recreation of how it was back then. The game has grown drastically in popularity since release so it's no surprise so many want to go revisit what it was like in the very beginning whether they missed it by choice of not playing the game or because they were too young at time of release.
The opinions on the mode aren't limited to Reddit, OG mode saw a rise in players when Season 2 released but it doesn't compete with the other modes player size. It seems to rely mostly on nostalgia with Twitter users and fans of the game also seem to share similar opinions to the Redditors that maybe we just let nostalgia get the better of us.
Image: Response on Twitter echoing sentiments of the community found online (Source: Twitter)
Ultimately, some things can just never be the same- that doesn't mean nostalgia isn't good, but you'll never be able to match the thrill of your first enjoyment and Fortnite's release of OG has been a good showcase of that. The mode has been successful at bringing some good vibes and some great skins but isn't talked about in the community due to the fall off. Despite that argument, it still is bringing in tens of thousands. The big question now rests on will they be able to restore the hype with Season 3 and the later seasons? Or will the OG mode go down as just another money grab?