Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 theme's color hints at the return of Chapter 1's map

Not too long ago, the first promotional image for Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 was leaked online. As is tradition, it featured a Battle Bus floating carefree through the sky against a cloudy backdrop. The only thing that has changed from season to season is the color of the backdrop itself.

Depending on the new season's theme, the sky in the backdrop has been tweaked to reflect it. For the alien season in Chapter 2 Season 7, there was a strong greenish vibe, while the current season had red-violet hues. This time around, the sky shows a warm yellow glow of the setting sun - which is something that Loopers have seen before in Chapter 1.

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Is the sun setting on Fortnite's island once more?

For newcomers to the game, this leak featuring the new theme's color will look beautiful. However, any "OG" player worth their 'sweat' will know just how heartbreaking the color can be - and for good reason.

Last time around, when the Battle Bus was seen against a warm yellow backdrop of the setting sun, it was at the end of Chapter 1 Season 10. A loading screen showcased the vehicle flying off into the sunset while characters from the game waved it farewell.

As players will remember, this was not just symbolic, as at the end of the season, the live event called "The End" featured a black hole that sucked the island into it - and was never seen again, until now.

Since the current island, aka The Flipside, contained Mecha's arm and Cattus' skull, fans immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was the elusive Chapter 1 map.

While this theory is yet to be confirmed, the new theme-color leak for next season adds some credibility to the speculation. Loopers are now under the impression that following the upcoming live event, the Fortnite Chapter 1's island may make a return - or at least reveal more features that originally belonged to it.

Furthermore, since no one knows exactly what The Collider is capable of doing, there are no wrong answers when it comes to speculation. The device may be able to replicate the "OG" island or perhaps create a rift to bring in features from the original island.

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Will Fortnite Chapter 1 make a return?

Although the answer is no, at least according to popular theory, the current map is the Fortnite Chapter 1 map.

If the aforementioned arm and skull are not enough evidence, The Daily Bugle is built in the exact same location where the volcano was located. The rock formation and color of the area even look a lot like volcanic rock.

While this may be true, it can also be Epic Games simply reusing its texture-assets. But what about the "Night Night" files? They are only added when the developers need an extended timeframe to conduct maintenance. Why add them in if the island is going nowhere?

Well, this might disappoint a few theorists, but the "Night Night" file was likely added due to Fortnite Creative 2.0. Since it was recently teased during the showcase, it's likely that it's ready to be implemented in the new season.

Since the developers only add major changes once the new season begins, this is the perfect time to do it.

Nevertheless, while the thought of the Fortnite Chapter 1 map returning seems intriguing, it's unlikely that it will happen. The color-theme of the new season is probably just a coincidence and nothing more.