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Epic Games delays Fortnite Season 3 and next event amid civil unrest

The upcoming Fortnite season is being delayed yet again due to the current social climate.

Donovan Erskine

June 3, 2020 3:15 PM

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Fortnite developer Epic Games is among the latest to speak out against the social injustices plaguing America. Sparked by murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, protests have been taking place not only across the nation, but across the world. In their statement, Epic announces that the upcoming “The Device” live event has been delayed to June 15, and the start of Season 3 pushed back to June 17.

Epic Games posted the update to their official website. “The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.” the company stated, when speaking to the need to delay the next Fortnite season. This echoes the sentiments shared by so many around the gaming industry. While there will be a time to talk video games and celebrate our beloved entertainment, that time is not now. This helps to shine a spotlight on the important conversations that need to happen.

https://t.co/8KgWau8FyC

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) June 3, 2020

This marks the third time that Fortnite Season 3 has been officially delayed by Epic Games. This will surely frustrate dedicated fans of the game, but it’s the right decision. The Device live event, which will most likely set the stage for next season’s storyline has been delayed so that it can still serve that purpose. Developer Epic Games is aware that this may not be what players want to hear, but asks for them to be “patience and understanding during these difficult times.”

Epic Games is just one of many gaming companies to speak out against these social injustices, and delay upcoming content as a result of it. Most notably, Sony recently pushed back their major PS5 reveal event.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_