Epic Games announced in a blog post on Wednesday that they will be delaying the launch of Fortnite Season 3 and the upcoming live event, The Device, amid ongoing protests of George Floyd’s death.
Season 3 was previously announced to launch early this month, but now the launch of the new season, as well as the live event that comes before it, have been delayed to mid-June.
Epic Games released the following statement explaining their decision to delay launch of Fortnite Season 3 and The Device as well as showing their support for equality.
“Recent events are a heavy reminder of the ongoing injustices in our society, from the denial of basic human rights to the impact of racism both overt and subtle against people of color. We’re acutely aware of the pain our friends, families, team members, players, and communities are experiencing.
We believe in equality and justice, diversity and inclusion, and that these fundamentals are above politics.
The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.
The live event The Device will be delayed to Monday, June 15, and the Season 3 launch delayed to Wednesday, June 17. We know this delay comes on the heels of another one, and we appreciate your patience and understanding during these difficult times.”
Epic Games is among other game companies to delay the launch of another in-game season and events in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests across the United States and around the world. Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red, for example, announced yesterday that they would be delaying the Night City Wire event from June 11 to June 25.
Looks like Chapter 2 of Fortnite Season 2 will be playable for another two weeks while Fortnite developers take care of themselves and speak out against racial injustice.
