Fortnite: Fans sign petition to save “Save the World” after Epic Games ends early access

The early access of Fortnite: Save the World was released in July 2017. Since then, the game has created a niche following due to its interactive storylines and the fact that the ever-so popular Fortnite: Battle Royale had vast gameplay similarities to it. Most Fortnite gamers today spend the majority of their time playing the Battle Royale mode, but a recent announcement by Epic Games has attracted widespread criticism.

Credit: gadgets.ndtv.com

Originally, Epic had announced plans to release a full free-to-play version of the game, but since then, it has hardly been talked about by mainstream gamers. This is majorly because of the wildfire-like success that Fortnite: Battle Royale garnered over time, along with the development of Unreal Engine 5.

The announcement

On 30th June, Epic Games announced that they had chosen to make Save the World a premium experience, rather than going free to play. Further, all paid Founder accounts were promised certain rewards, including free pack upgrades, while all Ultimate edition owners were would be granted the new Metal leader Pack along with 8000 V-bucks.

The announcement of free upgrades aside, the move was met by widespread criticism on social media.

This guy explained it perfectly #SaveSaveTheWorld pic.twitter.com/ypBTiNVzua

— Crispy237 (@CwispyCrispy237) July 2, 2020

somewhere in an alternate universe..where epic actually cares about STW#SaveSaveTheWorld pic.twitter.com/9Yh0WQz7b0

— @Windermed_ (@Windermed_) July 2, 2020

The petition

Around a week ago, a change.org member with the username STW Supporter posted the following petition on the website:

Credit: change.org

The petition recognises the role of Save The World in the development and eventual rise of Fortnite: Battle Royale, and urged the developers to remember their promises. Further, the petition mentions former Epic employees Karolina Grochowska and Joel Crabbs, who tragically died during the game’s development.

The two are mentioned in the initial credit sequence, and have been featured as Mythic Survivors in the game. The petition ends by urging the developers to revive the story and not let the Storm win.

Further, the hashtag SaveSaveTheWorld has since trended on Twitter, apart from gaining support from Reddit communities. While users recognise the hopelessness of their attempt, with Epic already having made the official announcement, they have united nevertheless.

credit: change.org

Whatever be the result, Fortnite: Save The World fans have risen from the ashes and come together for a noble cause! The petition has already gained almost 12,000 signatures, and we expect the number to substantially increase over the coming days.