‘Fortnite’ downtime update: What to expect from season 8’s first patches

Mar 06, 2019

By Herb Scribner

“Fortnite” has announced its first official downtime for season 8, and it might have some pretty big consequences.

“Fortnite” tweeted that the game’s servers will experience downtime from 4 a.m. ET (2 a.m. MT) on Thursday. Matchmaking will likely be turned down during this time. The game will return in the early morning on Thursday.

X marks the spot! Downtime begins tomorrow, March 6th at 4 AM ET (0900 UTC).

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) March 5, 2019

“Fortnite” — a free-to-play battle royale style game — often releases updates every week or so to its gameplay, allowing for small fixes to make gameplay better. Sometimes the downtime will lead to new gameplay features, like new weapons or storylines.

Expectations: The game has been hinting at a new “Buried Treasure” item since the beginning of the season, which has put an emphasis on pirate themes.

“Nobody knows what the hidden loot will be, but some have already suggested that it could be along the likes of the Infinity Blade or the Drum Gun,” according to ComicBook.com.

The first update will include a number of audio improvements as well, according to the report.

Treasure: The hint of a hidden treasure item began with the eighth season’s trailer, which showed characters the Ice King, the Prisoner and a pirate meeting at the center of the map around a treasure item.