We were expecting Fortnite to get its first major update of 2023 today, but it seems like players will have to wait for just a little bit longer for update 23.20.
UPDATED 8.48am GMT, Wednesday, January 18: The Fortnite 23.20 update will go live on Wednesday, January 18, Epic Games confirmed this morning, with the patch set to be rolled out at 9am GMT / 4am ET / 1am PT. The @FortniteStatus Twitter account has confirmed that Matchmaking has already been disabled, so server downtime is expected from now until around 1pm GMT / 8am ET / 5am PT.
Following the release of a small hotfix patch last Tuesday which removed the controversial Shockwave Hammer (which was re-introduced and nerfed shortly after), Fortnite was expected to receive a more comprehensive content patch on Tuesday, but it never came. But why?
Well according to @FN_Assist on Twitter, this could be due to the fact that yesterday was a US holiday (Martin Luther King Day), and Epic Games employees tend to return to work for a full day before any game update is released. Of course, this is purely speculation at this stage, but it seems to be a plausible explanation.
For those unfamiliar with the normal procedure when it comes to Fortnite updates, matchmaking tends to be disabled around 30 minutes beforehand, and the downtime can then continue for up to four hours following the update being rolled out. Fortnite typically gets content updates every two weeks, but there have been none so far in 2023 due to the Christmas period, so 23.20 is set to be the Battle Royale title's first major update of the year. And, it could be a big one.
Fortnite update 23.20 patch notes
Epic Games has yet to confirm any patch notes for update 23.20, but that doesn't stop us from speculating as to what could be included! For example, we could see the introduction of the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). Epic's founder and CEO Tim Sweeney explained on Twitter in November 2022 that the UEFN had been delayed until late January 2023; could it be included in the 23.20 update? There's a chance, right?
UEFN was first announced in May 2022, with Sweeney telling Fast Company that the editor would be "open to everybody" and allow Fortnite players to use the "full capabilities" of Unreal Engine 5 to create content in the Fortnite Creative mode. In practice, this editor could allow players to customise islands, import assets, create custom skins and more. Exciting!
Although it's unlikely, we could also see the introduction of a first-person mode – but realistically we expect this mode to be introduced a bit later in the year, maybe for the launch of Chapter 4 Season 2. What's more likely for today's update are numerous gameplay balance changes, including various nerfs and buffs to weapons and mechanics.
Unlike new season updates, which tend to be released on a weekend, standard content updates are typically released on Tuesdays at 9am GMT / 4am ET / 1am PT, and unfortunately, there is always downtime involved!
