Fortnite’s Chapter 4 was a four-season-long chapter that ran from December 2022 to November 2023. Chapter 4 kicked off a new era for the game, as it was the first full chapter that wasn’t headed byFortnite’s original Chief Creative Officer, Donald Mustard. While Chapter 4 introduced interesting mechanics like the augment system and brought notable collaborations to Battle Royale,Fortnitestruggled to find its sense of direction without Donald Mustard at the helm.
A little over a year after Chapter 4’s end,Fortniteis now preparing for the start of Chapter 6. Alongside severalleaks for the newFortnitechapter,Fortniteitself has officially revealed the chapter’s name, a few POIs, and every battle pass skin for Chapter 6 Season 1. One skin in particular should stir up some excitement, as it shows thatFortniteis returning to its roots with one element of Battle Royale.
A New Hope For Fans of Fortnite’s Storyline
The Initial Draw of Fortnite’s Narrative
Besides its cartoony art style andgoofy emotes, a big part of what helpedFortniteto stand apart from other multiplayer shooters was its story. WhenFortniteupdated each season, it didn’t just add a few map changes and a new battle pass. Starting back in Chapter 1,Fortnitebegan to develop its own storyline by introducing a surprising amount of lore that players could uncover by exploring the map, completing quests, and investigating loading screens. This narrative wasn’t just there to add flavor to the game; it would eventually culminate with major in-game events, like the rocket launch in Chapter 1 Season 2 and the showdown between Mecha Team Leader and the Devourer in Chapter 1 Season 9.
Chapters 2 and 3 continued to developFortnite’s storyline. Chapter 2 integrated more cutscenes into its events, developed named characters like Jones, and started giving in-universe explanations for why crossover characters like Iron Man and Doctor Doom were arriving on the island. The amount of thought and care that went intoFortnite’s story motivated players to keep coming back to the game, not just for the competitive gameplay, but to find out what was going to happen next with Jones, the Seven, and the Imagined Order. Unfortunately, after Donal Mustard’s retirement in Chapter 3 Season 3, the quality ofFortnite’s story completely fell off.
Fortnite’s Story — or Lack Thereof — in Chapter 4
DespiteChapter 3’s Fractured eventdirectly tying the creation of Chapter 4’s map to the established storyline, Chapter 4’s narrative attempted to start fresh and move in a new direction. A story reboot post-Donald Mustard was going to be controversial no matter what. However, Chapter 4’s biggest issue was that it couldn’t decide what it wanted its new direction to be.
Each season of Chapter 4 seemed like it was setting up an interesting new story only for it to be mostly ignored when the next season rolled around. Season 1 focused on A.M.I.E and the Oathbound both attempting to create interdimensional rifts as an evil, shapeless figure watched from the shadows. Then, Season 2 veered in a completely different direction by having the player work to unite MEGA City’s syndicates in the hopes of uncovering a nefarious plot set in motion by the Last Reality faction. While Season 3, Season 4, andFortnite OGattempted to cobble together a more coherent storyline, it was mainly just to justify why the game was sending players back to the Chapter 1 map. The lack of set-up made Chapter 4’s narrative beats feel unearned compared to the planned storylines present in previous chapters.
Charlie Wen’s Impact on the Chapter 5 Storyline
By the start of Chapter 5,Fortnitehad finally found a new Chief Creative Officer. Charlier Wen — known for his contributions to theGod of Warseries as well as the MCU — joinedFortnite’s development team and helped provide the game with the guidance it had lacked during Chapter 4. Though Chapter 5 had its issues, it placed an emphasis back on narrative. Every new season’s storyline built upon that of the last season, in-game story events once again became a regular occurrence, and the chapter even had its own protagonist in the form of Hope — a graffiti artist turned freedom fighter.
What Hope’s Return in Chapter 6 Means For Fortnite’s Future
Though Chapter 5 Season 4 and Fortnite OG left quite a few plot threads dangling, it seems like Charlie Wen actually has plans to address them.Fortnitereleased several images teasing Chapter 6 Season 1 earlier this week. Battle passcollab skins like Godzilla and Baymaxwere the highlights for many players, but another skin that was shown off was a brand-new version of Hope. Hope’s appearance in the new chapter — not just in the item shop but in the core battle pass — suggests that Chapter 6’s story will be picking up right where Chapter 5 left off. This is big news forFortnitefans, as it shows thatFortniteis confident with the current trajectory of its storyline and is done with the constant reboots that followed Donald Mustard’s retirement. A large scale plot that spans multiple chapters is exactly what players have been asking for, and Hope’s return shows thatFortnite’s new leadership has plans to meet those demands and avoid the pitfalls of Chapter 4.
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WHERE TO PLAY
Create, play, and battle with friends for free in Fortnite. Be the last player standing in Battle Royale and Zero Build, experience a concert or live event, or discover over a million creator made games, including racing, parkour, zombie survival, and more. Each Fortnite island has an individual age rating so you can find the one that’s right for you and your friends.Explore large, destructible environments where no two games are ever the same. Team up with friends by sprinting, climbing and smashing your way to earn your Victory Royale, whether you choose to build up in Fortnite Battle Royale or go no-builds in Fortnite Zero Build.Discover even more ways to play across thousands of creator-made game genres: adventure, roleplay, survival and more. Or, band together with up to three friends to fend off hordes of monsters in Save the World.
