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Fortnite was a very different game when it was first released in July 2017. Originally, the game was developed as a team-based shooter where players would battle zombies and rescue survivors (not unlike Left 4 Dead) while also crafting and building weapons and defensive fortifications.

That all changed when Epic Games launch the Fortnite: Battle Royale expansion. Very quickly, the 100-player free-for-all was all anyone was talking about, and the main game (which was retroactively retitled as Fortnite: Save the World) was moved to the back burner.

But Epic always planned to offer a free-to-play version of Fortnite’s Save the World mode, and it was expected to launch before the end of this year. However, the developer has now confirmed (via their official website) that it won’t be available sometime in 2019:

We decided to move the free-to-play launch of Save the World out of this year. We’re working on a broad set of features, reworks, and backend system scaling we believe are needed to go free-to-play. Save the World has grown consistently since our launch in July 2017 and Fortnite overall has experienced unprecedented growth. Scaling up for the legions of player heroes who will be joining the fight is key to providing an excellent experience. This applies to all of our players, old and new, so we’re taking the time to get this right.

To make amends for this delay, Epic also announced that players will be able to pick up Fortnite: Save the World for 50% off beginning this week when they buy one of the game’s four Founder’s Packs.

Epic Games hand-delivered the “August 2018” development update for Fortnite earlier today on their official website. The communique from the development team includes new information about weapon balancing and building effectiveness, as well as the first statement about the battle royale’s recent launch on Android platforms.

But the real meat of this announcement can be found under the Competitive heading, which is where Epic announced that a “robust competition system” is coming to the game this Fall:

We are aware of a strong desire from competitive players for more opportunities to compete directly against one another within the same match. Development recently began for a robust competition system which will allow for all players to compete with one another and be recognized for their accomplishments. The first version of this feature is expected later this Fall.

Ideally, this new scoring system will help Fortnite transition into the full-fledged esport that Epic hopes it’ll be.

In addition to the new competition system, the developer also confirmed that “the ability to completely remap your gamepad to exactly your preference” will also be added to Fortnite this Fall.

Epic Games launched the Season 5 update for Fortnite today, giving players the chance to find out what’s going on with all those crazy portals:

Worlds collide in Season 5! A viking ship, desert outpost, and ancient statues have appeared on the island, changing the world of Fortnite as we know it. Hop in an ATK (All Terrain Kart) with your squad and uncover all new mysteries and locations. New Season, New Battle Pass.

Epic also teamed up with Joywave to provide music for the battle royale game’s spacey new trailer, and you can hear a snippet of the band’s new single, “Blastoffff,” in the Launch Trailer embedded above. If you like what you hear, you can also find an “Audio-Only Video” for the full song after the break. (more…)