Epic Games has announced on the company website they are putting on hold the launch of Fortnite’s new season till June 17. That is not all as ‘The Device’ live event, too, has been pushed back till June 15. This makes it the third time that the launch has been delayed as the Chapter 2, Season 3 was earlier scheduled for launch on June 6 and then again on June 11.
The company said they have been forced to make the decision due to the massive Black Lives Matter campaign underway in the U.S. after the custodial death of the African American, George Floyd. While the protests have been to uphold the rights and privileges of the black community in the country, there has also been widespread riots with mobs taking over streets and alleys.
No wonder, shops, and businesses have chosen to remain shut until the situation improves. Several live events have either been canceled for now or pushed back indefinitely. For instance, Sony opted to put on hold the launch of its new gen PS5 console which was earlier planned on June 4. ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Red Dead’ online games too were shut down for two hours in memory of George Floyd while Call of Duty added a screen stating ‘Black Lives Matter’ in support of the protests.
Meanwhile, Epic creative director Donald Mustard stated they have more than 1,000 people working from home on Fortnite owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. The company also recently entered into a partnership with OnePlus with the battle royale game adapting well to the 90 fps display of the latest OnePlus 8 series.
It now remains to be seen if Epic Games can stick to its launch schedules this time.
