Update: The Fortnite team used this reddit post to confirm that the update was delayed due to issues with building. The building system will be reverted to version 2.2. Still no ETA for update 2.4.0.
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Fortnite development plans suggested the 2.4.0 update would be launching today, but that may not be the case. Recent tweets from Epic Games confirm the release of the Minigun and new Save The World quest types has been delayed.
The release of Patch V.2.4.0 has been delayed so we can further improve stability and hammer out some remaining bugs. Once we have an updated ETA, we’ll be sure to let you know.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) January 31, 2018
“The release of Patch V.2.4.0 has been delayed so we can further improve stability and hammer out some remaining bugs,” the message reads. “Once we have an updated ETA, we’ll be sure to let you know.”
While conventional wisdom suggested Epic might have the patch ready to go sometime this morning, it’s clear the team doesn’t feel capable of meeting that target. Mere moments from the time of writing, the game’s official Twitter account reiterated that developers are “not sure just yet” about when the new content will deploy.
This is an interesting admission considering Epic has been timely about most Fortnite updates since the game launched in early access this past July. The troubling events of last week, however, seem to have thrown the creative process out of whack. The Chug Jug came to Fortnite just one week ago, but that update’s launch was unexpectedly delayed for several hours with extensive server downtime. In the days to follow, it was fairly common to have issues logging in or trying to join a party. In fact, in the past 24 hours alone, Epic has responded to complaints about broken parties and extended queue times. While the situation has definitely improved, it’s not totally resolved.
With these problems and more in mind, it’s probably smart for Fortnite’s next big update to be delayed. It’d be nice to know if we’re talking about days or hours, but the team might not be able to narrow its estimate down to that level yet. Even though Fortnite is technically a retail game, its early access nature means lots of seemingly easy questions don’t have solid answers.
As Epic struggles to keep Fortnite running smoothly, one has to wonder if this promise of weekly content updates might be stretching the game’s development team too thin. Despite growing in size since the cancellation of Paragon, it’s only now that these bugs have become a prevalent issue. The minds behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds faced a similar situation in August. It might be best for Epic to focus on releasing fewer content updates to better polish the experience that’s already there. While most of the current shortcomings seem to be related to networking, more attention to detail in all departments couldn’t hurt. That’s precisely what today’s delay is about.
We’ll do our best to keep you posted on the latest news about Fortnite’s Minigun update. If the ETA is just hours away we’ll likely update this article. If more detail is required, we’ll post a link to a written follow up.
Fortnite is in early access across PS4, Xbox One and PC. To learn more about the Minigun and the contents of the 2.4.0 update, be sure to read the patch notes.
Are you glad Epic is willing to delay the next Fortnite update for the sake of stability? Might this weekly release schedule be too difficult to keep? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
