OG Fortnite Update Causes Huge Spike in Players

Fortnite has seen a huge surge in players with the launch of its OG update that brings back the original battle royale map.

According to unofficial but reliable stat website Fortnite.GG, Fortnite has a 24 hour peak of 3.9 million concurrent players, compared to the roughly two million concurrent players it held for most of September and October.

Its previous highest peak arrived alongside Chapter 4 Season 4 in August, but this spike only saw concurrent player numbers rise to 2.8 million.

The OG update arrived November 2 and let players return to the beloved Fortnite map that revolutionised battle royale games and perhaps video games as a whole. This means players can once again visit locations such as Tilted Towers, Paradise Palms, Salty Springs, and more. The movement evolutions Fortnite has made since Chapter 1, like sprinting and mantling, remain.

Publisher Epic Games returning to Fortnite's roots, when the game was at its peak of popularity, perhaps isn't surprising given the company's recent financial struggles that forced it to lay off 830 employees.

CEO Tim Sweeney even admitted in an internal memo that, "while Fortnite is starting to grow again, the growth is driven primarily by creator content with significant revenue sharing, and this is a lower margin business than we had when Fortnite Battle Royale took off and began funding our expansion."

Fortnite's OG update will last as long as the current season, which generally runs for around 50 to 70 days. The original map will presumably be removed from the game when the season ends, though Epic may reconsider given the renewed popularity. IGN has asked the publisher for comment.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.