Epic Games has delayed the launch of Chapter 7 Season 2 of Fortnite, citing ongoing instability issues within the game. The delay, announced on , pushes the season’s release date to – a two-week postponement from the originally anticipated early March timeframe.
Persistent Stability Issues Plague Fortnite
The decision to delay comes after a series of updates intended to address performance problems, particularly those impacting older generation consoles. Players have reported experiencing significant lag, crashes, and UI delays when transitioning between game modes or entering matches. These issues have been particularly acute on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, where the problems can manifest as complete game crashes.
The current wave of instability appears to have begun following the January 9th launch of the South Park collaboration event. That update initially introduced UI stuttering in the game lobby when players attempted basic actions like using emotes or navigating menus. While a subsequent patch on January 22nd appeared to resolve these initial problems, it introduced new issues, including game crashes and UI lag during gameplay, necessitating further emergency maintenance.
A more recent update, released on Thursday, , failed to fully resolve the underlying problems. Players on PC and current-generation consoles are experiencing delays of 5 to 10 seconds when returning to the lobby from a match or preparing to start a new one. The situation is considerably worse on older hardware, where these delays frequently result in crashes.
A Prolonged Season One
Epic Games’ decision to prioritize stability over a timely launch suggests the severity of the underlying technical challenges. The delay will result in Chapter 7 Season 1 becoming one of the longest seasons in Fortnite’s history, lasting nearly four months. While an extended season is unusual for the game, Epic appears to have determined that releasing a compromised Season 2 would be more detrimental to the player experience.
The issues may stem from challenges integrating new features with Unreal Engine 5, the game’s underlying engine. While not explicitly stated by Epic, several reports suggest that technical difficulties with the engine itself may be contributing to the instability. The timing of the problems, following the South Park event and subsequent patches, points to a complex interplay of new content and engine-level issues.
The delay also comes at a time when Fortnite is actively promoting other in-game events. The Fortnite Festival recently launched a new season featuring musician Chappell Roan, including new cosmetic items and music tracks like Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” and David Bowie’s “Starman.” These ongoing events highlight Epic’s commitment to keeping players engaged despite the delay of the major seasonal update.
The extended Season 1 provides players with additional time to complete the current Battle Pass and enjoy existing content. For those who purchased the Battle Pass later in the season, the delay offers a valuable opportunity to unlock all available rewards before the progression resets with the launch of Season 2.
Epic Games has not provided a detailed explanation for the delay beyond acknowledging the need to improve game stability. The company communicated the postponement via a post on the @FortniteStatus X account, accompanied by a meme referencing building within the game – a nod to the game’s core mechanics and a lighthearted attempt to soften the news. The message read, “We’re taking one more Fortnite for next season – CH7S2 drops March 19 *opens the loot vault & starts cooking*.”
The next scheduled update for Fortnite is slated for . However, given the two-week delay to Season 2, players may face a month-long period without any significant new patches or content updates beyond the ongoing Fortnite Festival events.
