Fortnite is down in the most Epic way possible

You'd need to have been hiding under a pretty big rock not to have heard of Fortnite, but the huge online game has cranked up the stakes for players by destroying its entire map in seriously spectacular way. Fortnite 'The End' was promised for this weekend, as Epic Games hit reboot on the current map and paved the way for a new one, but even the most avid players probably weren't expecting something quite so dramatic.

Epic had begun the countdown to 'The End' last week, taking to Twitter to warn players that the current map was on borrowed time. The time appeared over the retro Dusty Depot location, but the end of the map came from above.

First the meteor, once dormant, began to show signs of life. That escalated into a voracious black hole, which proceeded to feast on the entire map and everyone left playing on it. Those who were signed in at the time – which numbered in the millions – only had a sated black hole to look at.

Now, though, attempts to log into Fortnite are rebuked, and players will have to wait to see what Epic has coming next. The company even wiped out its Twitter history and other game-related content, prompting fears that – against all odds – Fortnite might not come back at all.

Happily for loyalists, that's not the case. Indeed the Fortnite Blackout may be ongoing, but inventory items and V-Bucks – the in-game currency – are safe, Sony's PlayStation support team reassured concerned players. "We can confirm that Xbox Live is online and operating normally," Microsoft's Xbox team told gamers wondering where their favorite title had gone.

If you can log in, there is at least something to distract you. Enter the Konami code – up, up, down, down, left ,right, left, right B, A, Start – and you'll be able to play a version of Space Invaders as you wait.

As for what comes next, we've had hints from Epic Games, not to mention leaks, but nothing concrete. Rumors of an entirely new island now seem pretty much guaranteed, given the old one has been consumed by the black hole. The new battle royale island should have all-new Points of Interest, among other things. That could include boats, possibly a lighthouse, and new defaults.

When we'll see all that come online is unclear, but there's certainly no shortage of interest in what Epic might have up its sleeve. For now, Fortnite players are just going to have to sit tight and attempt to be patient.