Fortnite's Simpsons season is a total success; Epic must learn 4 lessons

A mini-season of The Simpsons in Fortnite was an undeniable success, boosting the average player numbers from November to the highest levels since March. The humor and optimism returned to the game's subreddit, with the community praising the season as one of the best and calling for its extension beyond November.

The success was not only due to the nostalgia for The Simpsons series, which spans generations. Four crucial elements contributed to the positive impact:

Thematic and Detailed Map: The entire map was completely thematic and full of easter eggs from The Simpsons, strongly contrasting with the recent Star Wars mini-season, which only added some thematic locations to an existing map. The commitment to the theme created a strong "sense of place", encouraging exploration. The Simpsons Map allowed players to jump on the family couch and listen to pranks in phone booths, bringing to life the universe of the series. The Epic must ensure that the next Chapter 7, with leaks pointing to a Hollywood/Las Vegas theme, maintains the same level of thematic commitment in each Point of Interest (POI).

Balanced Loot Mechanics and Bosses: The Epic stopped directing players to specific POIs to get powerful items. Unlike Chapter 6 Season 4, where it was almost mandatory to land in two locations with bosses that dropped medallions, in The Simpsons the mini-bosses that drop mythic and exotic weapons appear randomly in each round. The "donut storms", which rained high-level weapons, also appeared randomly. This made all POIs viable, encouraging merit-based exploration of the location.

Smaller Maps and Increased Speed: The Epic reduced the play area and the lobby to 80 people (instead of the regular 100). This size, combined with mobility items, made it easier to locate other players and reduced the "mid-round boredom" of the Battle Royale. The storms were also accelerated, making matches more urgent and fast-paced. The balance achieved is considered ideal, addressing the criticism that the Chapter 6 map was too large.

Over-the-Top Weapons and High Mobility: The balanced loot pool was enhanced by outrageous weapons and mobility enhancers. The Krusty's exotic Mr Blasty item (revolver that attaches floating balloons to players) was described as the most fun in Fortnite in a long time. Other examples include a ray ray gun that electrocuted targets into cartoon skeletons. Mobility was boosted by Shockwaves, fish that granted teleportation and an anti-gravity drink. The high mobility fit perfectly on the smaller map, giving freedom for exploration.

The mini-season of The Simpsons will be replaced by the new Chapter 7 on November 29. For the first time in a long time, the community seems to be completely united in support of the direction of Epic Games.