Fortnite ‘NEO’ teaser riddle builds hype for Season 9
The game's creative director tweeted 'From the ashes, rise' after the third panel of next season's teaser was revealed
FORTNITE'S next season is just around the corner, and Epic Games is dropping hints about what's in store.
A third image dropped today has raised speculation to fever pitch, with the game's official Twitter account "The Future is Tilted."
That picture had a letter 'O' in the background, adding to images with the letters 'N' and 'E' earlier this week.
Exactly what NEO means is something of a mystery.
That it relates to Neo, Keanu Reeve's character from The Matrix, in some form is not outside the realms of possibility, though.
One of the game's most sought-after skins is The Reaper -- based on movie character John Wick, who just so happens to be played by Keanu Reeves.
That skin was the level 100 reward from Fortnite's third season, which came just as the game's popularity was exploding -- meaning many players who joined at that point would have had the chance to obtain the skin but failed due to lack of time.
The millions who have started since haven't even had the chance to get the skin -- and giving those players another Keanu-inspired skin would likely get them very excited (even if they were mostly born after The Matrix trilogy was released).
In response to that third teaser, the game's creative director posted the words "From the ashes, rise."
Tilted Towers had been one of the game's most popular areas, with large numbers of players landing there every match expecting frenetic combat in the streets and up and down the area's high rise blocks.
That all changed when the area was levelled in a recent event, with nothing but smouldering ruins left behind.
Combining the two teasers and you have a very clear implication that Tilted Towers will be back, and possibly better than ever.
Even with Epic's propensity for making unpopular decisions of late, it seems unlikely that one of the game's many streamers' favourite starting points would remain out of action for long.
All three images feature new skins, all of which seem to have a cyberpunk vibe to them.
Going by past seasons' teasers, these seem likely to be skins rewarded to those who complete battle pass challenges.
The new season is due to kick off tomorrow, and it looks like it's going to last for 12 weeks, finishing up just after the upcoming Fortnite World Cup finals.
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Seasons generally have ten weeks of challenges in them, with each week bringing subtle changes to the map.
It would make sense for the World Cup finals to sit at the very end of a season during a period when no major changes are expected so that players competing for their share of the £30 million prize pool are all fighting on ground they're familiar with and not having to deal with new things.
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