Fortnite released a cryptic teaser with several viewers sitting on the edge of their seats. The official Fortnite Twitter account had teased many things with “Shock ‘n Awesome,” with the promise that the launch trailer and the blog post would follow the next day. The tweet and a few online clips sent the community into a frenzy of speculation. And honestly, the replies are a chaotic mess, as one should expect.
The teaser text is obscenely vague, injecting just a little bit of zing into it. “Unite the team and transform the game. Power up with Shock ‘N Awesome!” tease the words, with a link leading over to either just the teaser for the launch trailer. What does “Shock ‘N Awesome” even mean? Given Fortnite’s history, I’d just say keep an eye out for something loud and lavish, potentially with flying mechs. Because, really, when hasn’t Fortnite been about mechs?
Gamers are flooding replies with theories, demands, an interesting mix of excitement, and skepticism. Some think that this could be the build-up to a supposed collaboration – perhaps with Helldivers? However, some dismiss this, saying the Helldivers developer has already stated that they’d never collaborate on anything like Fortnite. Then there’s the other faction that thinks this has something to do with The Last Reality or some other super lore-heavy faction coming back. Because, you know, the storyline for Fortnite is basically a soap opera with guns at this point.
Then some took the opportunity to ask for unrelated things, because, of course, they had to. “Fortnite, can we get a slight teaser for Season 5 OG Pass? It can be anything. A time for when the teaser drops, an extremely blurry photo of the pass. Please?” begged one, while another demanded, “FORTNITE, IF YOU’RE ACTUALLY LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY SHOW US THE 8TH SKIN OF THE PASS.” Classic.
And then there remain the untamed wildcards. Another person pondered if Cuddle Team Leader and a “mechazord” would make good friends, whereas yet another player posted a photo of a Power Rangers-type dude with the caption, “Please tell me this guy is in too.” Not a word of context. Just vibes.
More intriguing are those replying who think this might connect to more hardcore lore. “The Nothing? The Dark Presence?” goes one user, referencing what appears to be an ongoing mystery in the game’s story. Another simply declared, in all caps, “THE DARK PRESENCE,” as if this was the ultimate spoiler ever. Meanwhile, others are completely convinced that Doctor Slone is making a glorious comeback because, why not?
And, well, there are players that just can’t anymore. “I like this season but I want a different season,” a fan admitted, proving the point that in any case, before Epic does anything practical, someone is already done with it.
So what is Shock ‘N Awesome? A new game mode? A crossover? Some mech-packed battle pass theme? Surely, no one knows the answer, but tomorrow, with that trailer dropping, questions will be at least partially answered. Or, if it’s Fortnite, they’ll just answer 2 and ask like 12 more. So, the hype train is off; players are on board already whether they’re ready for it or not.
And one thing is forever sure: Fortnite has masterfully gained all the talents that keep the community guessing, screaming, and in the end, mostly screaming.
