Is Fortnite bringing back the old map?

It’s understandable to get lost in the plot of Fortnite. Along with its constant rotation of new events and maps that reshape the battle royale, it feels like there’s always something to discover whenever you sit down and play the game. Now, everyone’s eyes are on a leak that pertains to Epic allegedly bringing back the OG map. That’s right, we’re talking about the Chapter 1 map—the one that started it all and helped Fortnite blow up to the worldwide sensation that it is now.

Fortnite has come a long way since its primitive design back in 2018, but still, that doesn’t mean most fans wouldn’t want to experience the original map again, at least for nostalgia purposes. Here’s what we know about the potential return of the Chapter 1 map so far.

The Fortnite Old Map is Coming Back, Leakers Say

According to multiple sources—ranging from Fortnite dataminers to leakers—this is all happening behind the scenes. HYPEX, one of the most reliable leakers for the game, is one of the many to jump aboard this theory. He indicates that the Chapter 1 map is returning, and it has something to do with a time-travel storyline, which will be the “reason” why everyone will head back to the original map.

The dataminers and leakers have deduced that the current time machine in Chapter 4 Season 4 will malfunction and send players back to the OG map with a similar loot pool. Meaning the old map will have its old weapons again. Then, things will rotate through the past seasons until everything’s eventually left behind again. Ultimately, though, the experiment will be finished when the game transitions to Chapter 5. Based on the reports, the entire schtick may only last a month if we’re lucky.

More Context About the Fortnite Old Map Coming Back

With the changes occurring for a month, we’ll cycle through all the different Chapter 1 seasons before Fortnite officially launches Chapter 5. Another Fortnite leaker—ShiinaBR—provided more context on what we can expect when the OG Fortnite map returns.

For starters, the time machine will lose control, causing a rift to open and teleporting our current map to the Chapter 1 map. The information gets a tad muddier at this point, but ShiinaBR points out that the maps would be mixed together. That said, this will result in the next season’s map having bits and pieces of the Chapter 1 map in it and will most likely rotate specific seasons every week. Old gun models are also set to return along with the rotating maps.

Will There Be A No Build Mode for the Chapter 1 Map?

The idea of the OG map returning has undoubtedly gotten the Fortnite fans riled up. Many still remember the glory days of the battle royale when it took the world by storm. Back then, we didn’t have to flip through four maps and have hundreds of licensed IP skins from different franchises.

Even if we go back to the OG mode, we’ll no doubt still have a No Build mode on that map. Sure, it would drastically change the dynamics and feel much different when you return to the original map after many years, but it’s neat. It’s like seeing an old friend for the first time in a while; they’re still that friend you know, but at the same time, you know they’ve changed.

Games Going Back to Their Roots is Normal

Seeing battle royale games returning to their original maps isn’t anything new. We’ve already seen Apex Legends and Warzone do this routinely, for instance; however, Fortnite still hasn’t done it—until now. We’ve indeed seen some locations from old maps appear, like the beloved Tilted Towers, but it’s not even part of the first version of the map. Having the entire OG map has never happened.

Other players wonder if the return of Fortnite’s Chapter 1 map means we’ll also have the oldest battle passes in the game, but that will never happen. That’s because when Epic released Fortnite for the first time, the game didn’t even have a battle pass yet—only a shop. Season 2 is where Epic Games implemented the battle pass, with skins like Sparkle Specialist and Black Knight appearing for the first time.

Too Good to Be True?

This hasn’t been confirmed by Epic Games yet, but since there are multiple trusted sources (ShiinaBR and HYPEX), there’s a high chance of it happening. It’s unclear what led to this move, but perhaps the developers hope to bring their Season 1 players back to Fortnite before Chapter 5’s launch this year. Old and new fans alike have always wanted to experience the OG map because it represents the game’s humble beginning before transforming into a multi-billion dollar hit.

We’ll have to wait for an official announcement to have more details on how exactly this will pan out, but there’s no question that players will surely flock back to Fortnite to at least give the game a look at how it was back in 2018. Who knows? Maybe even the Ghoul Trooper skin might also return for nostalgia’s sake.