The Fortnite: Battle Royale maker Epic Games has made an unexpected announcement regarding the in-game friendly fire and it seems the Fortnite community is not amused by the change, to say the least.
The developer released a statement to notify all players that it would disable the friendly fire in team modes. The measure is taken with the aim of preventing the team killing that has turned into a huge issue in Fortnite. The announcement came out of the blue, so players did not have much time to come to terms with the embarrassing news.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale mode players have to find the happy medium between taking out their enemies and avoiding hurting their teammates. Epic Games’ decision comes as a result of players’ feedback regarding the system abuse.
Epic Games representatives revealed that they have been monitoring the team killing situation and drew several reasons in support of their decision. They said that on one hand, the friendly fire abuse can be a frustrating experience. On the other hand, it used to encourage players to employ “thoughtful play and careful tactics”. Epic Games confirmed that in case the feature removal affects the game in a negative manner, they will think of other methods for remedying the situation with the rampant team killing.
Epic Games requested players to share their thoughts on the matter and they were quick to express their point of view. The majority of Fortnite fans said that the complete removal of the friendly fire might not be the best approach towards solving the team killing issue. Others pointed that the in-game explosives will no longer cause damage to teammates thus becoming a way more viable close-quarters weapon.
Judging from the feedback, Epic Games will soon have to reconsider their decision. Until then, the friendly fire in Fortnite:Battle Royale remains disabled.
