From late 2017 through early 2019, the video game Fortnite took the world by storm. According to popular English media company The Telegraph, the game had around 78 million monthly players in August 2018, just a year after its release. During this time the majority of the current WHS student body was nearing or had already completed the transition from elementary school to middle school, while simultaneously Fortnite cemented itself as an unforgettable part of their childhoods. However, today the game is nothing more than a memory for many of its former players as a series of controversial updates caused the love of the game to diminish. 

That was until Nov. 3 when Fortnite gave people a chance to relive all of their favorite memories in an update called Fortnite OG. It marked the return of many old aspects of the game that led people to fall in love with it in the first place. 

The nostalgic charm of the new season has brought back many older players who had previously quit. Epic Games, the company which created Fortnite, announced that a record 44.7 million players and 102 million hours of gameplay were logged on Nov. 4, just a day after Fortnite OG was released. Among this number were many WHS students who have been avidly playing the game since this recent update. Senior Alex Valencia said, “The throwback update means a lot for me and everyone returning to the game. It’s a shot back to our childhood [and] great nostalgia.”

When looking back on what Fortnite was like during 2018, one of the first things that comes to mind are the countless memories made while teaming up with friends. The players and excitement returning to the game has allowed for many people coming back to share a few more of these experiences. “People want to return to that sort of nostalgia that the game had back in early middle school,” said senior Logan Shepard. “I don’t think the game will ever feel the same as it used to, but this is definitely a nice return to the old ways.” 

For many WHS students, the chance to relive the experience of old Fortnite felt like a chance to relive their childhood, an opportunity that nobody would take for granted. Unfortunately, Fortnite OG will be going away on Dec. 3, but the wave of nostalgia it brought over people around the world will forever be something that older players are grateful for.