48-hour Fortnite downtime likely after Chapter 3 Season 4 Live event

Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 has been confirmed to roll into Chapter 4 when it finally ends. Instead of entering Chapter 3 Season 5 as previously thought, the current chapter will end with the Chrome season. Much like Epic Games did with the final season of Chapter 2, they've elected to forego the back half of Chapter 3.

As a result, there will be substantial downtime between seasons, which is often the case when there's a chapter change.

Seasonal changes usually have a bit of downtime so Epic can implement new weapons, characters, and POIs, but the end of the chapter means players won't be able to play for a while.

In this case, it will reportedly be for close to an unbelievable 48-hour duration. The live event will be held at 4 pm EST on December 3, but the next season isn't scheduled to begin until December 5.

The Fracture live event will not take that long. Most live events are over in an hour or less, and there's currently no reason to expect this to be any different.

Depending on when the season is activated on December 5, the downtime could be two full days. Right now, the official time for the new season hasn't been revealed.

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What does the end of Fortnite Chapter 3 mean?

One thing players have come to expect at the end of each chapter is change. Going from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2 saw a massive difference, with the entire map changing.

It was later revealed that the map in Chapter 2 is on the other side of the original map, which was flipped back over for Chapter 3, with changes but the same overall layout for the most part.

In both instances, the map changed significantly. Given the pattern, it's not unreasonable to think that the Chapter 2 map might be returning as the island may be flipped over once again after the effects of Chrome.

In a similar fashion to Chapter 3 Season 1, the map in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 may be a version of the one from Fortnite Chapter 2 with old and new POIs and landmarks sprinkled around.

A potential look at next season (Image via xApplezz on YouTube

Regardless of whether the map is going to be entirely new or not, Epic Games is planning on introducing big changes. A lengthy downtime guarantees as much. Whether it's to the island, the gameplay or something else (a combination, even) remains to be seen.

Leaks suggest that Fortnite's first-person mode, ridable flying wildlife, and more massive features are on the way. There may be a long downtime so Epic will be able to add them to the game.

New weapons can be expected along with entirely new characters, and probably a new map. That's a lot of change, which is why Epic has graciously afforded two days to do so.

However, remember that this information is largely based on leaks, and while it may come from reputable sources, nothing is confirmed until an official confirmation by Epic Games is released.