Sunsetting Fortnite’s Save the World Game Mode Might Be for the Best

In 2017, Fortnite burst onto the scene as an early-access title as a tower defense title with crafting-survival gameplay elements. It didn’t make many waves with this mode, though it did have quite the following, but that would all change when the Battle Royale mode arrived on the scene a few months later. While the free-to-play Battle Royale has become a cultural phenomenon, the base mode (Save The World) quickly petered away. It never grew as popular as the Battle Royale, but the PvE campaign was a crucial milestone in Fortnite‘s journey to success.

Despite being overshadowed by the explosive success of Battle Royale, Save the World played a crucial role in establishing the game’s core mechanics and building system. Both of these features are now synonymous with the still popular Battle Royale experience. Unfortunately, as 2024 marks a new era for Fortnite, it may be time for Epic Games to close the chapter on Save the World.

Fortnite Has Several Popular Game Modes

Save The World Has Been Labeled As The “Forgotten” Mode

Originally expected to be Fortnite‘s main game mode, Save the World saw its player numbers shrink in the face of Battle Royale’s explosive popularity, which resulted in a shift in development resources. With Epic Games riding the wave of success from shooters like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and the free-to-play model, it isn’t surprising that its third-person battle royale took off. Unfortunately, the rapid growth of the PvP mode greatly impacted Save the World. As updates and features became less frequent, some players believed Save the World was being neglected.

“As updates and features became less frequent, some players believed Save the World was being neglected.”

Save The World’s Player Count Has Been Steadily Decreasing

While Save the World experienced a temporary player bump during Chapter 4: Season OG in 2023, its numbers have dwindled once more. In contrast to other modes, the current statistics of approximately 15,000 people playing Save the World appear significantly low. For instance, according to Fortnite.GG, Fortnite Battle Royale is estimated to have nearly a million daily players online. Additionally, when LEGO Fortnite debuted, it attracted over 2.5 million players during its opening weekend.

Despite a dedicated community, the wait times and difficulty finding full matches raise concerns about its player base size. What’s more, the lingering price tag of Save the World might be deterring new players, especially considering the developers’ original promise of making it free-to-play after Fortnite transitioned out of early access. These issues, coupled with years of questions regarding long-term investment from Epic Games and the significant popularity gap compared to other modes, have led some to suggest that sunsetting the classic survival campaign might be the best option.

Nevertheless, 15,000 committed players from the 2017 game mode represent untapped potential. If the developer chose to do so, a well-executed revival could breathe new life into Save the World. Regretfully, with Fortnite seemingly shifting its focus to different modes, such as Fortnite Festival and Rocket Racing, it doesn’t appear that Save the World is high on the priority list in 2024.

For now, it seems that the future of Save the World is shrouded in uncertainty, and it seems that Epic Games is moving on to different projects. As such, only time will truly tell if Save the World will receive a much-needed revitalization or if it will be quietly laid to rest, but it could easily go either way.