Fortnite’s Simpson season sparks large number of new and returning players, peaking at 2.6 million live players

Fortnite The Simpsons mini-season welcomed the biggest number of new and returning players since last holiday season, according to the official Fortnite social media account. Having begun on Nov. 1, The Fortnite Simpsons season contributed to the title surpassing 2.6 million live players during the weekend. The mini season concludes on Nov. 29, with chapter 7 season 1 beginning soon after.

The Fortnite mini-season reworked the entire map, bringing Springfield to the battle royale. Upon entering the battle royale, players are greeted with a Simpson-esque intro screen, accompanied by the iconic opening. Players can enter Homer’s house, sit on his iconic couch, and shoot up Flanders as he frantically melees to defend his home. The mini season map is significantly smaller than the traditional battle royale, but to compensate, Epic reduced the number of players from 100 to 80.

On Nov 1, when the mini season launched, the very first sidekick, Peel, debuted as well. Bonesy, Spike, and Lil’ Raptor join on Nov. 7; players who own the Bonesy Back Bling will be granted the Bonesy Sidekick on Nov. 7. Upon acquiring a sidekick, players can only customize their sidekick once.  Players must purchase the sidekick again if they want to unlock another go at customization, highlighting Epic Games’ effort to push for numerous purchases and microtransactions.