Fortnite’s newest chapter introduced new movement changes that haven’t landed with the community and the dev team has now shared a response to the backlash.
It’s been a wild few weeks for Fortnite, as Season OG saw the battle royale reach absurd levels of concurrent players. It all ended with an in-game concert from rapper Eminem, the reveal of new game modes, and the launch of Chapter 5.
Chapter 5, Season 1 is Fortnite’s newest chapter, introducing weapon mods, a slew of new skins, and potential crossovers. One of the biggest changes came from new movement mechanics like wall running and the reintroduction of hurdling.
Not everyone’s a fan of the new movement changes, and after widespread community backlash, Epic Games has responded to the criticism.
Fortnite responds to controversial new movement changes
The crux of player criticism has centered on how the movement changes feel, with creators and players saying it feels “janky.” Part of this is due to Chapter 5’s arrival introducing an upgrade to many of the in-game animations.
While it may look cool, players believe it doesn’t play as well. For example, one Reddit post compared crouch speeds before and after the update, discovering at least a 43% decrease in speed this season.
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This has rightfully led to widespread backlash amongst the community. The dev team has seen the mounting frustration and put out a message citing the desire to “encourage more strategic decision-making” and “introduce visual improvements.”
Let’s talk movement. TBH, it took us a few days to get used to it during our playtests too.We want to introduce visual improvements & encourage more strategic decision-making in each moment. Here’s what changed:-New animations!-Run and sprint speed slightly slower (but…
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) December 4, 2023
After the message was shared, many of the responses voiced appreciation for the dev team’s quick statement. Well-known Fortnite leaker HYPEX simply stated “W Communication,” while leaker iFireMonkey remarked, “NGL, I was completely fine with the changes, keep up the communication.”
Of course, that didn’t stop the sea of replies from users who remained frustrated with the changes. “I speak for everyone when I say we don’t care about getting used to it just revert it,” stated one player.
The dev note ended with: “In this early stage we’re hoping that you’ll consider this update & that it starts to feel natural over time.” It seems like the team won’t revert the changes, but time will tell what comes next for Fortnite’s movement.