A rocket launched in 'Fortnite' and the internet went wild
Fortnite's rocket launch may be over, but the memories linger.
Epic Games staged a one-time-only "Blast Off" event on Saturday. Fortnite players that were lucky enough to be online and in-game at precisely 1:30 p.m. ET had the opportunity to witness a proper spectacle: A rocket launch.
Seeing it firsthand was no easy task. Even at the best of times, Fortnite hits players with long waits and server queues when they're trying to join a game. And for Blast Off, a hyped event with a very specific timetable, servers were absolutely slammed.
For anyone out there who might have missed it, social media provides....
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The launch wasn't a total surprise. Two weeks ago, players noticed a mysterious skull broadcasting on in-game TVs. Not long after, that skull transformed into a countdown -- a countdown set to expire on June 30.
Then, on Friday, an in-game update direct from Epic declared that the countdown would lead to an event that "only happens once!" The Fortnite developer advised fans to "get in-match" by the prescribed time and "look to the sky."
In the run-up to the event, many correctly guessed that Blast Off pertained to a missile at Snobby Shores, an in-game location that serves as the current hero-themed season's home for a super-villain lair. The rocket's launch doesn't appear to have changed anything, but many are guessing that it's a tease for significant map changes to come as Fortnite Season 5 launches.
For now, enjoy these many social media-sourced looks at Blast Off as it happened. There's a lot of chatter on the Fortnite subreddit criticizing Epic for making the launch window so short, but the developer knew what it was doing. Fortnite is an eminently shareable game, and there are plenty of ways to experience Blast Off now, after the fact.
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Beautiful, isn't it?
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
