Fortnite begins doomsday clock for end of season live event

Fortnite has begun counting down to its next major story event, set to mark the end of its James Bond-inspired spy season.

While the season itself wraps up next week on Thursday 4th June, Epic’s live event will set the stage this coming Saturday, 30th May, at 7.05pm UK time.

For the first time, attention is being drawn to the upcoming shenanigans via a countdown clock within the game’s lobby area, as well as in the game itself. Mysterious pipes rippling with energy have appeared within Fortnite’s various menus, while visiting spy chief Midas’ room shows some kind of device ready to go.

In-game, all eyes are on the map’s central point, its Agency headquarters, where underwater hatches glowing with energy have appeared. Over the past few days, new clouds have begun to circle the location.

And today, a new patch (v12.61) has added files for the event to the game which fans are already poring through for clues. We won’t post spoilers here, but it’s worth paying attention to a portrait which has been in Midas’ room all season…

Fortnite has staged several live events since its big black hole reboot brought a new map to the game late last year. Fans have been treated to tie-ins featuring Star Wars and Travis Scott, along with various premieres and concerts in the game’s separate Party Royale mode.

But this is Fortnite’s first big story event since that reboot – of a kind similar to its huge monster versus mech fight or volcano eruption, where it’s well worth being in-game, or watching on YouTube, to see the fireworks.