Epic Games is a video game developing, software and publishing company that was founded in 1991, in Potomac, Maryland. On Sept. 26, 2017, Epic released, “Fortnite Battle Royale.” The game quickly became Epic’s most played title, reaching 30 million players in December of 2017. 

Player count began to drop in the first years of the 2020s. Player count fell to between one and two million in a day. On Nov. 3, 2023, Epic Games introduced, “Fortnite OG.” The game would return to the map, weapons and cosmetics when Fortnite gained its popularity, but only for a limited time.

Players are excited to go back to the game’s roots, and hopefully experience the nostalgia of getting onto a flying “Battle Bus” and jumping to their favorite landmark on Battle Royale Island.

“I’ve missed dropping at Snobby Shore or Viking Village the most. I used to drop there a lot,” junior Madhav Variyam said. “I used to get a lot of wins with my squad there. We all got back together, and we’re playing again.”

Players who’ve been playing since 2017 and 2018, or self-proclaimed “OGs,” have not only been playing for the sake of the nostalgia they get from the game, but also from playing with old friends.

“I’ve been playing with some of my old squadmates,” junior Carson Dant said. “The squad got back together on Nov. 3. All my friends from the states I used to live in are playing again, and it’s amazing.”

Even though player count has risen, Epic Games plans to end the month of “Fortnite OG” on Dec. 2, to make way for a new season.

“I do think the player count will drop after “Fortnite OG”, just because the hype is dying off,” Variyam said. “As the season ends, some people will come back if Epic Games makes the correct decisions.”