Fortnite Chapter 4 sees a massive rise in bots in-game, here's why

Several seasons ago, Fortnite introduced bots. This was done primarily for two reasons.

Initially, they were supposed to be a crucial aspect of skill-based matchmaking. A player's skill was used to determine the constituency of bots in their lobby.

Secondly, they were supposed to fill lobbies to ensure that they could accommodate as many players as possible in a single lobby. A game is supposed to aggregate 100 players, so if there's not enough, Epic Games has to supplement that using bots.

Bots have become more prominent in recent seasons and many players believe they're far too prominent in Chapter 4 Season 1. Here are a few reasons why that might be.

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Fortnite bot lobby increase: Why that might be happening in Chapter 4 Season 1

One Fortnite Redditor noticed that the lobbies they play in seem to have a lot more bots in them than usual, so they decided to ask the community why that might be and if it was a common occurrence, or were they lone victims.

There could be a couple of reasons for this officially unexplained increase in the number of bots in the lobby. Firstly, it could have just been the holiday season in which a lot of gamers might have been understandably busy. This does not leave much time for gaming in general, let alone Fortnite. It has become quite obvious that Epic Games has to buff certain lobbies to amass player engagement and get matches done.

A second possibility is simply that the player count is low. They may not necessarily be taking a break, but are instead just choosing to play a newer, better battle royale. Chapter 4 Season 1 has been a relative success, but many just aren't into it anymore.

The vintage Fortnite days have been more popular for a long time and most gamers miss them. Unfortunately, that has led to fewer players playing today than in the game's prime.

It is preposteropus that Epic has to pump in 75% of lobbies due to a progressively detrimental low player count.

A third reason may simply be the result of players being bored. The start of a new season is always exciting and the start of a chapter is even more so.

That novelty has now worn off. It's no longer the shiny new toy, so players might not be playing now.

Chapter 4 is no longer new (Image via Epic Games)

There's also a chance that Epic's timed challenges might have turned players off. If they're going to miss a week of challenges for whatever reason, that makes it significantly harder to complete the battle pass.

That discouragement could have potentially convinced them not to carry on playing at all. If this is the case, or if the boredom explanation rings true, then there is no fixed remedy to the bot issue.

If Epic Games simply can't get enough gamers in lobbies consistently, then they have no choice but to artificially fill them. Unfortunately, that means an irritating increase in the number of bots in your lobby.

They can always revamp skill-based matchmaking and put players in different tiers together to fill lobbies, but that could have adverse side-effects as well.