'Fortnite' Chapter 2 trailer introduces a chaotic new map
The trailer makes it seem like we're actually on a new planet.
After almost a full 36 hours of Fortnite being transformed into a swirling black hole of nothingness after “The End” event swallowed everything, Epic Games launched “Chapter 2” in the early hours of October 15, complete with an epic launch trailer that takes us to a new world lightyears away from the previous one.
The trailer opens on the now-iconic image of a swirling black hole lined in the blue-white light akin to the Fortnite rifts. After it implodes, we zoom out impossibly far to see the stars reflected in a puddle before a boot stomps into it. We’re then thrust into an alien world that looks incredibly familiar, but totally different.
The land is lush and overgrown but highly developed. There’s a nuclear power plant pumping waste into the river. We’ve got snow-capped peaks with winding mountain trails, a lighthouse on the far side, a beach resort, a dam, and bodies of water you can actually interact with. (Fishing poles let you fish for loot, but you can also swim in water and even drive boats!) Gas stations even explode now!
It’s a welcome sight when the battle bus flies into view, full of people partying. There are a few familiar faces, like a new Jonesy variant, but most of them are new.
The battle bus returns in 'Fortnite' Chapter 2.
Fortnite has never been known for telling coherent sci-fi stories, but it seems like when battle bus left the original island in the Season X, Week 10 loading screen to begin its journey here. If “The End” event crashed a giant meteor into an unstable vortex to create a black hole, then it must have swallowed the entire planet.
Is the battle bus itself capable of space-time travel? Or did we witness the literal start of an all-new universe that led to intelligent life and the creation of its own battle bus? Is it a waste of time to try and overthink it? (Definitely.)
Unlike in past seasons, when we knew about the next season’s start date and time in advance, the launch of Chapter 2 was a surprise to most of us — unless you were paying close attention to all the leaks.
