Summary
- Fortnite's player count has hit its lowest point since 2023.
- Epic Games' Star Wars mini-season stirs controversy with a fully voiced AI Darth Vader.
- A Chapter 6 Season 3 teaser hints at a possible superhero theme.
It was recently revealed that Fortnite's average player count for the month of May 2025 has hit its lowest point since Chapter 4 Season 2 in May 2023. Fortnite recently launched its Galactic Battle mini-season, which features a full collaboration with the Star Wars franchise. The game's loot pool was completely revamped at the beginning of the mini-season, replacing the usual guns with blasters, lightsabers, and Force powers.
While many fans of the Star Wars franchise have expressed enthusiasm about the mini-season, it has been at the center of some controversy. Early in the season, Epic Games introduced a fully voiced AI version of Darth Vader to the game as an NPC. Once players manage to defeat the Sith Lord in combat, he will join their party and assist them in achieving victory. However, unlike similar NPCs, Darth Vader can have a full conversation with the player who recruited him. This has led to SAG-AFTRA suing Fortnite over its use of AI, as Epic Games appears to have potentially violated an agreement it had with the organization.
Rumor: Fortnite’s Next Event May Change Players’ Skins
A prominent Fortnite leaker surprises players by revealing that an upcoming live event could make a major change to players' skins.
According to the website Fortnite.GG, which keeps track of the battle royale's player statistics, Fortnite maintained an average of 1,039,379 players in May 2025. This is the lowest player count since Chapter 4 Season 2 of Fortnite in May 2023, which has some players concerned about the future of the title. While many gamers have been enjoying the Star Wars mini-season, some people believe that it may have contributed to the decline in players, as not all Fortnite fans enjoy the iconic franchise. It's likely that Epic Games is hoping the game will see an uptick in players when Chapter 6 Season 3 launches in the near future.
Fortnite’s Player Count Decreased in May 2025
In fact, Epic Games recently released its first teaser for Chapter 6 Season 3 of Fortnite in a post talking about real-life LEGO sets based on the game. At the end of the announcement, Epic Games asked fans to stay tuned for more "super-scale news." Many players believe this is a reference to rumors that the new season could involve a superhero theme. However, unlike previous collaborations with Marvel, leakers have said the upcoming season will focus on original designs.
Unfortunately, Fortnite's lowered player count could lead to some game modes being eliminated, as leakers recently suggested that Fortnite OG's ranked mode may be removed from the game. This wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened, as Epic Games recently shut down Fortnite OG Zero Build's ranked mode due to "matchmaking health." Despite a few hiccups, many players are looking forward to Chapter 6 Season 3 of the popular battle royale.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- September 26, 2017
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Epic Games
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
