Season 7 of Fortnite arrived yesterday, which means a very special edition of Replay—rather than rounding up news from the wider world of gaming, we're going all in on Epic's battle-royale phenomenon. Put the controller down for a second, would you?
Winter Has Come, With a New Frozen Biome Hitting the Map
The predictions all came true: a snowy winter wonderland has made its way to Fortnite. In fact, the entire southwest quadrant of the map has been augmented by the iceberg that had started heading for the island in Season 6; you can see the massive new wintry wonderland in this comparison; new locations include a snowed-over village (Happy Hamlet, some slippery mountains (Polar Peak), and a couple of islands off the coast. Some players are even noticing faces in the terrain, which is obviously a breadcrumb leading to a later in-game event most likely a little developer trollery on the part of Epic Games. Anyway, the ground out there is treacherous, so watch out, builders, or take to the new ziplines to get around. Brew some hot chocolate first to keep your strength and core temperature up. Whether or not you sing carols while sniping from atop your snow-covered fort? That's between you and Krampus.
…While Players Take to the Skies
What, you thought ziplines were the only new transportation method? Y'all, there are planes now! The biggest change to Fortnite's gameplay is, undoubtedly, the introduction of the X-4 Stormwing Plane, which can seat one pilot and up to four passengers. The plane features a mounted turret for aerial combat—or just strafing those poor unfortunate souls running around on the ground. (Unless they strafe you first.) You can even parachute down out of one if you want to drop into a new location. This opens up an entirely new dimension for players; we can almost hear the "STORMWING IS OP" complaints already. Such is the way with all new features.
Let's Just All Stop Shooting Each Other For a Second, K?
Speaking of new features, one of the game's most intriguing additions—especially for the aim-challenged among us—is Fortnite Creative, a new mode that lets players occupy peaceful versions of the Fortnite map, either by themselves or with friends, and just … build. Like, this game is still about building forts, right? Right?
In Less Fun Fortnite News, the Inventor of the Milly Rock is Suing Epic
Yes, The Washington Post reports that rapper 2 Milly is suing Epic Games for the use of his Milly Rock dance as an in-game emote. The lawsuit accused Epic of stealing 2 Milly's dance moves and likeness, as well as exploiting African-American creators without credit. It's certainly not an unreasonable critique: Epic has a habit of taking dances from pop culture, rebranding them as emotes, and selling them, with the serial number and creator stripped away in the process. (See: BlocBoy JB's Shoot dance)
This isn't the first time this issue has come up, either. Earlier this year, Chance the Rapper called out Epic in a Twitter thread, suggesting that the studio license and pay for the songs these dances are related to so that their creators could receive financial recompense. There's little in the way of precedent for a court case over stealing dance moves, but it'll be compelling to watch this case unfold. Legal or not, people deserve credit for their work. And Epic really hasn't been giving it. (Yes, even Orange Shirt Kid.)
Recommendation of the Week: Gears of War 3 on Xbox 360
Epic Games may be printing money because of Fortnite, but the studio has enjoyed a number of distinct eras. First, there was Unreal, which defined both the late-’90s wave of first-person shooters and Epic as a company. Then, there was the Gears of War Age. Gears was the foundational title in the construction of the modern third-person shooter, all machismo and chainsaw guns (and scrambling behind waist-high cover). The child of Cliff Bleszinski, it's a brilliant series, and its success ultimately led to the Epic Games that would go on to stumble into making Fortnite: Battle Royale. If you're in a Gears mood, just skip to the third one. It's easily the best, and the plot is … well, it's not all that important. There are monsters that come from belowground. Shoot them. There you go.