Fortnite leakers claim that the battle royale will be receiving its oft-rumored and highly anticipated first-person mode during Chapter 4 Season 2. Fortnite, up to this point, has never officially supported first-person. It has instead kept focusing on its third-person perspective, in part due to Fortnite's construction-based gameplay being its first priority. Now that Fortnite is leaning more towards its No Build mode, however, Epic Games seems to be ready and willing to give first-person a real try.
Many Fortnite players expected first-person to never be added to Fortnite. In 2018, Epic Games explicitly stated that it didn't have any plans to add first-person because it didn't feel like it fit Fortnite's "design style." It did say it was willing to revisit the idea in the future, though. Evidence of a first-person mode being added was first discovered in Fortnite at the end of January, prompting speculation it would arrive quickly. A month has passed since, with some worried Epic Games decided not to follow through.
Leakers are now back with an update regarding Fortnite's first-person situation. The battle royale's top leakers, Twitter accounts HYPEX and ShiinaBR, are both claiming that they've confirmed with sources that Epic Games is preparing to launch its first-person mode very soon. The tentative plan, according to the leaks, is for first-person mode to arrive in Fortnite sometime in Season 2 of Chapter 4. That means the new mode could arrive as soon as March 10.
Details regarding the first-person mode are still up in the air. HYPEX says in their Twitter replies that first-person is "most likely an optional setting," perhaps implying that there won't be a separate mode but rather just an option on top of current game modes. Given the inherent imbalance introduced by supporting both third-person and first-person play at the same time, an entirely separate game mode seems more likely.
Fortnite isn't the only battle royale to experiment with first-person after starting with third-person gameplay. When PUBG first launched, it only allowed for first-person play in custom games. Due to the mode's popularity, an official first-person PUBG game mode was added with relative quickness. Both third-person and first-person modes have remained supported by PUBG since, with both being successful and popular.
Like with PUBG, it's unlikely that first-person mode would become the dominant option for Fortnite. Third-person gameplay is much more accessible and better for casual play, whereas first-person gameplay can be very challenging and competitive. That's something a community of Fortnite players has long wanted, but only time will tell if it's successful enough for Epic Games to support perpetually. Expect official updates on the subject in the next week or so, if the leaks are to be believed.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and mobile devices.