Fortnite servers BACK! Season 5 kicks off with new map, new skins and more

FORTNITE's servers went down across the world this morning as Epic Games updated the game for Season 5.

The downtime officially started at 9 a.m. UK time lasted until about 11 a.m.

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However, you won't be able to get in until you've patched your version of the game.

"We also have many new things coming your way, due to this the patch size will be larger than normal," Epic warned.

Download speeds may also be slower than normal, according to the developer.

Matchmaking services were disabled at about 8.40 a.m. ahead of the update before the game became entirely unplayable a short time later.

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Has Season 5 started, and what's changing?

Yes! And it's bringing a hatful of changes.

There's a new Battle Pass and whole new set of rewards, map changes, and a whole lot more besides.

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It will include vehicles, with a new All Terrain Kart, which holds up to four people and has a bounce pad on the roof.

There is a new desert area type, with TWO new areas on the map - Lazy Links and Paradise Palms.

The desert has 'unique ambient audio', while other areas will be getting their own versions "in future updates".

Did they fix shotguns?

YES. One of the most complained about features in the previous builld was lack of clarity with regards shotgun damage. and this has now been addressed.

The will now indicate how many pellets hit more clearly, and removed all variation from pellets' spread patterns.

There were also tweaks to the hunting rifle's aim assist, and damage drop-off for suppressed SMGs.

Does this mean the cash tournament is starting?

Epic Games recently announced it was putting up $100 million (£76 million) in prize money for Fortnite players this year, instantly setting up the game's Battle Royale mode as the world's richest eSport.

On July 11, they confirmed the first event to draw from that prize pool -- the £6m Summer Skirmish.

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The competition will go on for eight weeks, with the first event coming on the weekend of July 14/15.

The Skirmish opens with a relatively modest £189,000 ($250,000 ) Duos competition, with seven more rounds to follow across July and August.

Unfortunately for eager players, the first round isn't open to just anyone.

"In order to jumpstart the competition, invitations for the inaugural Summer Skirmish matches have already been sent out," Epic said.

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Competing will be "community creators and Fortnite players who have demonstrated their competitive prowess."

The players and format will change week-to-week, Epic says.

They also told players hoping to qualify for a future event to "stay tuned", as more information on how to enter future events would be forthcoming.

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