Fortnite Season 8 is now live and one of the first things that caught the attention of gamers worldwide is the implementation of an effective new ping system that allows players to better communicate with one another in-game. Although the addition is an excellent quality of life improvement for Fortnite: Battle Royale, it was Apex Legends that first introduced the contextual-ping system in the genre when it launched earlier this February.
It can’t be discerned whether or not Epic Games has been working on implementing the system since before the launch of Apex Legends, but with the massive following that the latter has gained in little less than a month after its launch, the move could be seen as a reaction to Apex Legends’ unprecedented popularity.
Fortnite's ping system in action. Tap left to mark items / set waypoints. Double tap left to mark enemies #PS4share pic.twitter.com/axG123aMCs
— James Jarvis (@James_Jarvis) February 28, 2019
It comes as no surprise that Fortnite developer Epic Games would implement a contextual-ping system similar to that of Apex Legends. Since the launch of the Apex Legends, Respawn Entertainment's take on battle royale has seen overwhelmingly positive reviews and player feedback. One of the major highlights that everybody agrees on is that the Ping system works great. In any competitive video game title, effective communication is tantamount not only to winning or performing well, but also to having fun. Apex Legends introduced a streamlined yet effective way to communicate with teammates, adding depth to cooperative play while making it far more fun and enjoyable in the process.
While Fortnite is the first to implement a system inspired by Apex Legends, it seems that it won’t be the last. Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, has also expressed an interest in using contextual pings in its widely-popular MOBA, and Ubisoft is considering implementing a similar system in their team-based shooter, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege.
The bottom-line is that no matter how you look at it, Fortnite added a great quality of life improvement that enhances how their players enjoy the game. Fortnite: Battle Royale is now opening its eighth season, and new and old players alike will be able to enjoy all of the content, items, and gameplay changes that it has to offer.
