While the fortunes of Fortnite continue to soar, it’s very much a case of reverting to boots on the ground for fans of the battle royale. That’s because the Fortnite jetpack is (soon to be) no more. RIP(ropane), 2018-2018. We hardly knew ye. But why has the jetpack left Fortnite, when it’s due to leave Fortnite and will the jetpack return? Let’s find out…
Fortnite Jetpack Gone: Why Has The Jetpack Left Fortnite?
Tucked away in the latest Fortnite 4.3 update comes a brief note from Epic, stating: “We will be vaulting the Jetpack at 8am on Monday, June 11. Get in your last matches before then!”
Simply put, the Fortnite jetpack was only ever designed to be a limited-time item, working with Limited Time Modes such as Close Encounters, as well as giving the community a taste of what might be to come when it comes to manned vehicles. It is not (and never will be) a permanent item because of how far removed it is from the core Battle Royale experience, no matter how fun it is to pretend you’re Buzz Lightyear, falling with style.
Fortnite Jetpack Gone: When Did The Jetpack Leave Fortnite?
As of writing, the jetpack has not yet left Fortnite. However, there’s not long to go. The jetpack is going bye-bye on Monday, June 11 at 8am EST. That’s 5am for those on the West Coast and 1pm BST. That means it will be unavailable in all relevant modes, and will be taken out of the game completely (for now), as confirmed by Epic in the 4.3 update patch notes.
Fortnite Jetpack Gone: Will the Jetpack Return to Fortnite?
There is, however, a small glimmer of hope for Fortnite jetpack lovers everywhere. Epic hint as much in their patch notes: “We may bring back the Jetpack at a future date with some improvements and new changes.”
Reading between the lines, there’s definitely some tweaking that Epic want to do (they may feel the jetpack is inherently broken in terms of gameplay) and nothing’s off the table as far as that’s concerned. Despite that, it’s definitely not going to be top of the Fortnite go-to list as the battle royale gears up for the imminent arrival of Fortnite season 5. TL;DR: don’t get your hopes up, people.
