Fortnite has drawn heavily from other battle royales ever since it moved away from its survival roots to embrace the genre, even incurring a lawsuit from PUBG Corp (abruptly shut down in 2018), which claimed that Epic Games had copied its structure of 100 players dropped on an island and fighting to the death.
It didn't end there either, as many claim that the Reboot Van mechanic was taken from Apex Legends, and while Fortnite is often credited with creating the battle pass, it was also taken from another game – Dota 2.
It should be said that there's nothing wrong with building on other games' ideas: that's how genres grow and take shape.
It's hardly surprising, then, that Epic Games is now looking at Call of Duty: Warzone for ways to refresh the battle royale experience after nearly a decade, as reputable leakers @ShiinaBR and @l3stei report that Fortnite will be getting its own Gulag system.
What is the Gulag?
In Warzone, when you die, you're sent to a prison complex to fight another player to death in a little 1v1 match-up, while others watch from the balcony and throw rocks. The victor is crowned with a free revival, and jumps back to Verdansk to reunite with his team.
Fortnite will be a little more family-friendly than Gulag with its “Restarter Island,” which pits players against each other in mini-games like Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Shockwaves for a chance to resurrect.
In Warzone, the Gulag closes after a certain amount of time, and you are only sent there once.
Some have argued that Reboot Vans already offers a way to revive fallen teammates, and that this is an unnecessary addition, but Gulag has always been a lifeline for solo players who would otherwise be sent back to the main menu after an embarrassing start.
And if you're worried about balancing in team play, Warzone lets you buy revivals from shops scattered around the map, much like Reboot Vans, so it stands to reason that Fortnite will find a way to balance the two mechanics as well.
There's no word on when we can expect the feature yet, but several leakers, including @Hypex, claim it will be “soon.” Meanwhile, Epic Games has taken a sledgehammer to the mode, and by mode I mean the Battle Bus, which completely changes the way you drop on the island.
- Released
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September 26, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teens – Diverse Content: Discretion Advice, In-Game Purchases, User Interact
