While Apex Legends & Overwatch Toy Around With Temporary Gifts, Fortnite Wins the 3-Way Battle With an Insane Nostalgia Offering

It looks like the Battle Royale genre is in the midst of a nostalgia wave. Games like Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Fortnite are introducing throwback modes that will take players back to each game’s roots. However, there’s a key difference in how these games are approaching their throwback moments. While Apex and Overwatch are introducing these modes as limited-time events, Fortnite is bringing the OG mode as a permanent feature.

This is quite a bold statement by Epic Games, showing that it is not just celebrating the past, but understands how to build a lasting, evolving game that honors its history. While other games are dabbling in nostalgia with short-lived modes, it is going all in and turning nostalgia into a permanent part of the game. By taking this approach, it is poised to emerge as the true winner in this 3-way battle for nostalgic dominance

Why Fortnite’s OG Mode Is the Real Winner

Both Apex Legends and Overwatch are capitalizing on nostalgia with limited-time modes that let players revisit the games’ early days. These modes offer a fun, but temporary, glimpse into what made the games special before updates and changes reshaped them.

Apex Legends‘ Launch Royale mode debuted with Season 23 and allows players to revisit the original map and mechanics of Legends when everything was fresh and new. This limited-time mode will most likely end with the season, just like the duo mode introduced in the previous season. It’s the same case with Overwatch with its Classic mode which will take the players back to 2016 when the original game was launched.

While both these games are offering their own temporary moments of nostalgia, Fortnite is turning its throwback experience into a permanent feature. Launching on December 6th, OG mode will take players back to 2017 and let them experience the original map, the simpler building mechanics, and the core gameplay before the game evolved into the massive, ever-changing behemoth it is today.

THIS. IS. NOT. A. DRILL.

OG is coming BACK and is here to stay. Relive Battle Royale from the start and explore the OG map, collect OG loot, and relive OG seasons. Drop back in on December 6. pic.twitter.com/Zpg1CrItS5

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) November 12, 2024

By making this mode permanent, Epic Games is trying to tap into something deeper than just a nostalgia trip. It wants to preserve the game’s history. With the OG mode being permanent, players won’t have to worry about the mode disappearing after a few weeks.

Instead, players will be able to relive the game’s origins for as long as they want to, whether they’re long-time fans who remember the early days or newcomers who want to see what made the game a cultural phenomenon in the first place. This move not only celebrates the game’s history but also gives players time to engage with the game’s roots, making it a winner in this epic 3-way nostalgic battle.

Epic Games Has Been Leading the Charge in Battle Royale Genre

Epic Games has always been introducing various new innovations to the game. It has been on a constant mission to evolve Fortnite with new updates, various collaborations, and the addition of new features. But by introducing the OG mode as a permanent mode, it is proving why it is leading the charge in the genre: it understands how to keep the community engaged.

This is also not just a marketing gimmick but a strategic move that aligns with how the game has always operated: offering players a variety of experiences, while never forgetting where it all began. Whether it’s collaborations with pop culture icons, new gameplay features, or an entirely new mode, Fortnite has cultivated a sense of community that celebrates both the present and the past.

In this sense, Fortnite OG is more than just a mode, it is a piece of history that will now live forever with the game. It gives players a way to see the past while remaining immersed in the game’s present. And with the game’s evolving nature, having a permanent throwback mode means players can enjoy a unique piece of the game’s history at any time.

In the end, with Fortnite OG setting a new standard for what nostalgia can look like in modern games, Epic Games has cemented its place as the leader in the battle royale space, at least when it comes to celebrating the past.