- The Design Director for Fortnite, Ted Timmins, took to X to confirm the return of the Shockwave Grenades.
- The Epic Games dev also revealed that a new, permanent player-first team is now part of the Fortnite development crew.
- Ted Timmins also confirmed the return of the Self-Revive Item with a February update.
Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 is past its halfway point, and it is fair to say that the season has been fairly rocky for many players. Apart from the removal of beloved items like the Shockwave Grenades, players have been struggling with high ping issues and other bugs that have soured this season for many. However, it seems like the player feedback has not been going to waste, with an Epic Games dev coming forward to provide insight into future Fortnite updates.
The new statement from Ted Timmins, who serves as Design Director for Fortnite, tackles the problems players have been facing in Chapter 7 Season 1. Here’s everything we learned from his new statement:
Fortnite Dev Confirms the Return of Shockwave Grenades With A New Permanent QoL Team
Ted Timmins took to X to engage with the Fortnite community regarding their concerns. He acknowledged that players are waiting for new content to be added to the game, alongside how Epic Games wanted Chapter 7 Season 1 to feel like a clean slate. He went on to state, “There was always a risk that by simplifying the game, focusing on Battle Royale and taking a ‘back to basics’ approach to create a ‘reset’ moment for Season 1 – that it may start to feel a little *too* similar to chapters past.”
Timmins then tackled the return of Shockwave Grenades, one of the most talked-about topics for Chapter 7 Season 1, stating: “The good news is we have a fun update in February to spice things up (I hear rumours that Self-Revives and Shockwaves might be making a glorious return…), and then a full Season 2 update in March.” This essentially confirms that Shockwave Grenades will return to the loot pool with an update in February, alongside the Self-Revive Item, which was removed to make room for Kenny’s Token item in the South Park update.
The X post then went on to tackle other equally important issues in Fortnite, like game stability, with Ted Timmins stating: “We have already taken steps to set up a multi-discipline live-ops strike team that is meeting daily, prioritising feedback, and taking actions to improve player experience and new Quality of life Updates.” The new QoL team will be a permanent part of the Fortnite development team moving forward. Ted Timmins emphasised how this new team might not be able to catch and fix every bug or glitch, but will provide noticeable improvements in the coming months.
The return of the Shockwave Grenades will be enough reason to celebrate for a lot of players. However, apart from the return of Shockwave Grenades, I think the new player-first team is a great idea, especially with Fortnite’s player count growing with each passing day. Issues like high ping and matchmaking errors can be the biggest joykill for many, and Epic Games forming a team to specifically deal with such issues will definitely have a positive impact on the game moving forward.
Are you excited about the return of Shockwave Grenades in Chapter 7? What do you think about the addition of the new QoL team? Let us know in the comments below!
