‘Fortnite’ to add reboot vans. Here’s how they work

Apr 09, 2019

By Herb Scribner

“Fortnite” has confirmed it will soon add respawn vans to its battle royale mode.

“Fortnite” confirmed in a tweet that it will add the new feature, which will be called “reboot vans” and can help players bring their teammates back to life if they’ve been knocked out in a single match.

The feature isn’t unique to “Fortnite.” In fact, “Apex Legends,” a separate battle royale style game from Electronic Arts and Respawn, first introduced the technology when the game launched in February. The respawn van is “arguably the best feature” of “Apex Legends,” according to The Verge.

Why it matters: “The feature, which first leaked back in late February, is designed to alleviate what is perhaps the most frustrating element of battle royale games today, which is losing a teammate early on and having to either quit then and there or spend the rest of the match playing a person down while your friend watches from the sidelines,” according to The Verge.

How it works: According to Epic Games, gamers will receive a reboot card when their teammates are killed within the game. Competitors will need to take the card to one of the reboot vans in order to revive their teammates.

Flashback: Back in March, Kotaku reported that “Fortnite” would add the respawn feature to the game, which I wrote about for the Deseret News. Gamers reviewed the “Fortnite” game files and found code that hinted at “Second Chance Vans,” which would work in the same way these reboot vans will.

Before the leak, Epic Games hinted that it would look into respawning and pinging features, according to Digital Spy. The game added a “World Marker” tool for season eight, which allows gamers to ping locations of certain weapons, enemies, and more.