[GameSpot] - Fortnite Season 8: When It Starts, What's In The Battle Pass, And More

[343iBot]

Fortnite Season 8 is closer than you might think. While fans have been loving Season 7's alien invasion theme, Epic Games loves to mix things up with each new Fortnite season, so we can rest assured when Season 8 kicks off, it will bring with it a slew of new map locations, new mechanics, new weapons, and more. Here's everything we know about Fortnite Season 8 so far.

When Does Fortnite Season 8 Start?

Epic isn't ready to talk about Season 8 too much just yet. It makes sense, since every week brings something new to Fortnite as it is. The team surely wants to keep players invested in Season 7 right up until the game goes offline for the seasonal changeover.

Having said that, we can reasonably infer the start date of Season 8 based on in-game information from Season 7. In the menus for the Season 7 Battle Pass, the fine print reveals that the current Battle Pass extends through September 12, which suggests that Season 8 will kick off on Monday, September 13. That would mean Season 7 sticks around for a little over 14 weeks, which is about average for Fortnite, even as recent seasons have been a bit more unpredictable in terms of length due to COVID-related delays.

What's In The Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass?

The Battle Pass is traditionally the first major detail revealed right after the seasons change in Fortnite, so we don't expect to know anything about this until the morning of September 13. But Fortnite is a big, leaky ship, so we can share at least one whisper that right now seems to hold some weight.

Over on the Fortnite Leaks subreddit, an anonymous insider with a history of accurate leaks has told moderators that Epic has obtained usage rights to Naruto, and suggested that the developer-publisher is seeking to include the boy ninja in the Season 8 Battle Pass. A crossover like that would be huge, though not at all unlikely.

A credible leaker says Naruto will debut in Fortnite Season 8.

Corroborating the rumor is the fact that a Fortnite Naruto skin was mentioned in documents made available during the Epic versus Apple court battle. Court documents also tipped off the community to future events we've since seen come true including the NBA crossover, the LeBron James skin, and the Ariana Grande Rift Tour.

These documents seemed to be pointing to collaborations Epic wants to work on, but it seems the gravitational pull of Fortnite is often successful in inking these deals. Now, it seems Naruto is the latest licensed hero who will make his way to the game.

What's evident is Fortnite is past the days of excluding licensed characters from Battle Passes. This season alone saw three in the Rick from Rick and Morty, virtual celebrity Guggimon, and Superman, and other recent seasons have included familiar faces such as The Mandolorian, She-Hulk, and Deadpool. It feels like it's less a matter of if Naruto will come to Fortnite, and more about when? Assuming he's the centerpiece of the Season 8 Battle Pass, he probably won't be the only crossover.

Fortnite Season 8 Storyline

Fortnite's story has taken on a bigger role in Season 7 and it's been exciting to be a part of it, but chief creative officer Donald Mustard and company still love dragging out a long tease. As the alien Mothership slowly moves over the center of the map, we can assume something is going to happen with The Aftermath, the craterous lake region at the heart of the map into which The Foundation seems to have sunk.

The Foundation, who is all but surely portrayed by The Rock, is a mysterious masked figure seeking The Seven, a group that is equally mysterious and seems to have some powerful sway over the time-looping Fortnite universe. These story bits seem to be Epic's grander tale, but for that reason, we expect they will be dragged out until at least the end of Chapter 2, which is estimated to be about a year from now.

In the more immediate future, the same reliable leaker who previously leaked extensive details of Season 6 and Naruto said Fortnite Season 8 will include something called "The Sideways," which will be like the Upside Down world in Stranger Things, a horrific inversion of the normal Fortnite island. We can assume whatever the aliens have planned for the end of this season, it seems the end result will be some sort of crack in the universe that allows monsters to pour in. The leaker even said rideable monsters and mechs are coming eventually in Chapter 2, but didn't say if that's going to be Season 8.

There's still a lot more to learn about Fortnite Season 8, and though Epic likes to play its cards close until the season debut, that doesn't mean more leaks won't provide insight between now and then. We'll be sure to update this page as we learn more.

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