Fortnite leak confirms Proximity Chat arriving in Chapter 4

It's no secret that Proximity Chat is a highly requested feature in Fortnite. Although normal voice chat exists for teammates, there's nothing in the popular battle royale game that resembles Proximity Chat. The only time that it was implemented in-game was for the "Impostors Mode," but this is likely to change based on a new leak.

Discovered by a leaker called BeastFNCreative, Epic Games has started beta-testing a new feature called Proximity Chat. Presently, there's no other detailed insight pertaining to what this could be.

Although the naming scheme clearly suggests the implementation of a Proximity Chat system, Fortnite's developers are known to use codenames as placeholders. That said, even if this is the first sign of a real Proximity Chat system, it does raise a few concerns for players.

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Can Proximity Chat exist in Fortnite with the game's PG-13 rating?

It goes without saying that despite the PG-13 rating, it's not too uncommon to come across unsavory teammates. They tend to curse and swear, which in turn makes the gaming experience less than favorable. Although players can easily mute them, the only way to avoid running into such individuals is by playing with known teammates.

Keeping that in mind, if a Proximity Chat system was to be implemented, it would be hard to avoid not hearing certain individuals curse and swear. If Epic Games makes a provision to keep everyone (except teammates) muted, it defeats the entire purpose of this potential system.

With that said, would having a Proximity Chat in Fortnite affect the game's PG-13 rating? According to community members, the Entertainment Software Rating Board doesn't rate video games based on online interaction. As long as the content within the game itself is still PG-13, the rating will remain unchanged.

This, in theory, would definitely allow Epic Games to add/or implement a fully-fledged Proximity Chat system in Fortnite. However, as mentioned before, there will have to be numerous failsafes in place to ensure that players can turn it on and off at a moment's notice, should the need ever arise.

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When will this 'Proximity Chat' be added to Fortnite?

With Chapter 4 Season 2 arriving on March 9, 2023, those hoping for the system to be implemented by then are likely to be disappointed. Given that Proximity Chat is still in the beta-testing phase, it's unlikely to be ready in time.

However, if this naming scheme holds true, this could be the first confirmation that this feature is finally in development. With popular video games like Escape from Tarkov and Warzone 2 already boasting this feature to spruce up gameplay, it would be interesting to see it in Fortnite.

Given the current meta that exists in-game, voice chat doesn't play any role aside from team coordination. But if Proximity Chat was tossed into the mix, things would be quite different. Basic stealth tactics can be implemented to hunt opponents by simply following their voices.

This entirely new threat-dynamic will potentially play a major role in how sound and voice is used in Fortnite. Nevertheless, for the time being, this is all wishful thinking. It's left to be seen in which direction Epic Games is going to take things.