Fortnite season 4: When it starts, Marvel tease and everything else you should know

Fortnite Chapter 2 season 4 is right around the corner. In previous years, the switch from one season to the next was met with a giant in-game event, but this time around, the real show is publisher Epic Games’ legal actions against Apple and Google. 

The popular battle royale game will start its next season in less than a week; however, mobile players may not experience all the changes coming down the pipe. Fortnite is currently not available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store after Epic attempted to bypass a 30% fee the two tech giants charge developers for transactions on their platforms. It’s unknown whether things will change before the start of season 4. 

Here’s everything we know about the next season of Fortnite so far. 

When does season 4 start? 

Aug. 27 is when the next season begins, as confirmed by Epic multiple times including in a tweet sent out on Friday showing a new logo that has a tie-in with Marvel. 

Season 4 will be available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android and Nintendo Switch. Players on iOS devices, on the other hand, may not be able to play the new season when it starts, as explained further below. 

What’s the theme for the season? 

It appears Epic is rekindling its relationship with Marvel for season 4, according to Friday’s tweet. The emojis in the tweet are of a hammer, lightning bolt and rainbow, which can be translated to Thor’s hammer Mjolnir, lightning to go with his God of Thunder powers and a rainbow representing the Bifrost Bridge used to enter Asgard. The Fortnite logo looks like it included the latest depiction of the Norse hero from the Thor #1 issue released back in January. 

The speculation among the game’s data miners is the next season will have a comic book theme, specifically Marvel comics. One tweeted more details of what’s coming in next season, including a point of interest on the map related to Thor, a Wolverine character skin, a variation of a character outfit with claws similar to Wolverine and collectible comic books.

Ok now that my source was right, here’s some more info:

– There will be a Marvel/Thor POI
– There will be a Wolverine skin
– They also had a Peely with little banana claws concept (like to the “Wolverine Banana” meme)
– Comic Books pages will be found and collected in the map

— HYPEX (@HYPEX) August 21, 2020

This is definitely not the first time Fortnite featured Marvel heroes. The battle royale game had special limited-time modes featuring Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet as a tie-in to the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Another partnership with the comic company was in season 2, when Deadpool was the secret Battle Pass skin.

Will I be able to play the new season on iOS and Android? 

Epic is in the middle of a legal battle with both Apple and Google. On Aug. 13, Epic tried to get around the 30% fee developers have to pay for transactions done on the App Store and Google Play Store by implementing a system called the Fortnite Mega Drop that allowed players to purchase V-Bucks, the in-game currency, directly from Epic and bypassing Apple and Google’s cut.  

Apple was the first to respond by removing Fortnite from the App Store. In response, Epic released a video parodying the famous Macintosh ad based on George Orwell’s “1984” and also filed a lawsuit against Apple for anti-competitive practices. It filed a similar legal action the same day when Google removed the game from its store. Epic then started a #FreeFortnite social media campaign and will even hold a Free Fortnite Cup tournament on Aug. 23.

Because of the legal actions taking place, iOS users are not able to download Fortnite or any updates to the game if they already have it installed on their device. This has led to people attempting to sell iPhones with Fortnite installed for thousands of dollars on eBay. Epic did seek a temporary restraining order to conduct business as normal while the legal battle continues, but Apple filed a legal response saying Epic can come back only after it plays by the rules. A court hearing on the matter is planned for next week. 

As for Android players, they can still install Fortnite on their devices. The only difference is they need to download the game directly from Epic or via the Samsung Galaxy Store rather than the Google Play Store.