Popular Twitch streamer Timothy ‘TimTheTatman’ Betar has provided a fitting summary of the current situation of Fortnite, as the backlash over the v8.20 update continues.
TimTheTatman has made a name for himself on Twitch over the past year or so by playing Fortnite, often collaborating with other big names such as Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins or Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop. His combination of charisma and talent has led to him being one of the most popular Twitch creators, with over 3.5 million followers on the streaming platform.
The Fortnite community, Tim included, have been generally critical of the Fortnite v8.20 update, that was implemented by Epic Games on March 27. The update saw a number of popular Season 7 changes, such as a 50 HP bonus after eliminating an opponent and an increased material farming rate, being removed.
On March 30 Tim relayed his frustrations with the update in a tweet, arguing that “Pubs [public matches] are boring and arena is sweaty… can’t really hop on and just casually enjoy Fortnite anymore”. He finishes the tweet by saying that the current situation is upsetting for him because he loves Fortnite.
The v8.2 update saw the addition of ‘Arena’ modes to Fortnite, which still have the ruleset of later Season 7, such as the health bonus and increased farming rate. However, the playlist is intended for more competitive Fortnite players, and as such tends to be more difficult to play casually in.
Pubs are boring and arena is sweaty… can’t really hop on and just casually enjoy fortnite anymore.. sad cause I love the game…:disappointed:
— timthetatman (@timthetatman) March 30, 2019
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One Twitter user however, replied to Tim, enquiring why he is so unhappy with Fortnite when the streamer enjoyed it for so long prior to the changes being made in Season 7. “What did you do for over a year when health on elim wasn’t around?” he asked.
Betar then went on to provide a perfect analogy for the current situation, replying that he “didn’t have it?” He goes on to argue that he used to love his “razr flip phone”, but now he is used to his smartphone, he would never use the flip phone again, as the smartphone is inherently better.
I didn’t have it? For example.. when I was younger I had a razr flip phone and I LOVED it… but once I finally got a smartphone… I liked it way more… so now (obviously) I’m not going to use the razr even though I loved it before I had my smartphone..https://t.co/UXZM1VNogf
— timthetatman (@timthetatman) March 30, 2019
It comes just hours after Ninja posted a poll asking whether the community thinks the patch should be reverted or not – and over 85% of the 270,000 votes have said they believe the update should be reverted.
Tim’s point summarises how a large portion of the community feels, with other prominent figures such as ‘NoahJ456’ and ‘dakotaz’ responding positively. There has, as of yet, been no response from developers Epic Games on the update, but given the extent of the community’s displeasure, it is likely we will see an official response soon.