Here's why Fortnite Season 3 has been delayed, when it will drop, and what to expect

The latest 'season' of popular battle royale game Fortnite has been delayed until early June, much to the dismay of the game's rabid fanbase of followers.

New seasons of the game often bring with the big new content drops, and thematic changes to Fortnite that helps to keep it fresh some three years on from its original release.

But fans will be left waiting much longer than anticipated to see what new loot Season 3 brings to the game.

Here's everything you need to know about the delay:

When will Season 3 of Fortnite start?

The game's current season - Season 2 of Fortnite's so-called 'Chapter 2' - was expected to come to a close on 30 April, on which date Season 3 would also be ushered in.

However, developers Epic Games have confirmed that the ongoing season will be extended by a number of weeks.

Season 3 is now slated to begin at the later date of Thursday 4 June.

What is there to do in Season 2?

To keep players occupied during the extension, Epic Games have announced that there will be "lots of content coming in the current Season."

In a blog post, the developer said they have "multiple game updates on the way" that will "deliver fresh gameplay, new Challenges, bonus XP, and a couple more surprises!"

Previously, when seasons of Fortnite have overrun their usual, 10-week long schedule, they've gone into what is known as 'overtime', giving players new challenges and allowing them extra time to gain XP and level up their Battle Passes.

Why has the new season been delayed?

Epic Games are yet to give any confirmation as to why Season 3 of Fortnite has been delayed, but presumably stretched staff and resources during the ongoing coronavirus crisis are to blame.

Developers can usually work remotely, but few employees will have access the same processing and graphics power required to work on projects on their home computers.

Many companies also have strict guidelines in place to keep new games secret; this can prevent updates from taking place outside of the office.

It's not the first time Fortnite has had to delay the reveal of one of its much-awaited new seasons.

Season 2 of the game was expected to go live just before Christmas, but was delayed until February, most likely to give Epic's staff some much deserved holiday time over the festive period.

"We will be extending Chapter 2’s first season into early February," Epic confirmed, "to prepare for all the new holiday-themed updates."

We've reached out to Epic Games for confirmation on the reasons behind the latest delay.

Is Fortnite still a big deal?

While Fortnite was arguably the most popular video game in the world at one time, it's popularity seems to be waning slightly.

Last week, the hashtag #RipFortnite trended on Twitter, with thousands of players protesting against the current state of the free-to-play battle royale game.

There doesn't appear to be a specific reason as to why so many players were taking to social media to vent their frustrations, but some have posited it may be to do with recent server issues the game has been suffering under increased demand from so many people around the world self-isolating.

Some disgruntled fans have said it's tied to Fortnite's skill-based matchmaking, which makes the game more competitive and less fun to play, while others have suggested the game is simply not what it used to be.

Despite some fans' complaints, Fortnite still retains one of the biggest player bases, and so losing a few irritated fans isn't going to hurt the game in the long run.

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