‘Fortnite’ offline and new chapter delayed due to “unexpected issues”

Epic Games’ battle royale Fortnite is currently experiencing some unprecedented downtown after issues with a new update.

Fortnite’s Chapter 5 Season 2 update was due to launch this morning (March 8) following a couple of hours of planned downtime. However, the update has yet to launch and Fortnite is still offline.

Taking to social media, Epic Games explained: “Hey everyone, we encountered an unexpected issue during our maintenance and we need to extend downtime at least 8 additional hours.” That means Fortnite won’t be online until 10pm GMT at the earliest.

“We apologise for making everyone wait longer than usual to drop into Chapter 5 Season 2 of Battle Royale,” it continued. “The team is working through this as quickly as possible, and we’ll provide another update when we have more info.”

Hey everyone, we encountered an unexpected issue during our maintenance and we need to extend downtime at least 8 additional hours.

We apologize for making everyone wait longer than usual to drop into Chapter 5 Season 2 of Battle Royale. The team is working through this as… pic.twitter.com/gsu79mGMiJ

— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) March 8, 2024

The highly-anticipated Myths & Mortals update was teased last week during the surprising giant hand event, and earlier today Epic Games shared just what was in store during the Chapter 5 Season 2 update.

As well as the usual tournaments and bug fixes, Myths & Monsters will see the Fortnite island transformed to feature several key locations from Greek myth – including Mount Olympus and the Hades-controlled Underworld.

“Pandora’s Box has been opened on the Fortnite Battle Royale Island, bringing Olympus to the battlefield. Olympian legends — including Hades and the thunder god Zeus — now rule the Island in otherworldly rage. To make matters worse, they’ve brought their powers and weapons with them,” said Epic in a dedicated blog post, with players encouraged to “use their mythological means against them.”

Weapons like the Thunderbolt Of Zeus, which allows players to rise into the air and hurl lightning bolts at their target, and the Wings Of Icarus, giving players the power of flight before they divebomb their foes, will also be introduced. Another power – Chains Of Hades – will be introduced as part of a future update.

In other news, Elite Dangerous players have teamed-up to take down the first of eight seemingly-invincible warships known as Titans in a week-long battle.