Epic Removes Classified as Fortnite AND Zero Build Squads

Since Fortnite Chapter 5 launched in late 2023, Epic Games has steadily increased the amount of unique game modes in Fortnite. Fortnite Festival, Rocket Racing and Lego Fortnite have all proven to be quite popular, with Fortnite Reload, OG and Ballistic all introducing new ways to play over the past year. That’s not to mention the hundreds of player-created custom experiences available in the game.

Of course, having the player base split across so many game modes can be problematic, and Epic Games has now decided to cut back to target that. Alongside Fortnite update 33.20, Epic has announced that it has removed the ranked version of Fortnite OG Zero Build Squads from the game. The tweet from Epic explains that this has been done to “improve matchmaking health and the overall experience of getting into a ranked match quickly.”

At the end of the day, this isn’t a massive deal as players still have the option to play both unranked Fortnite AND Zero Build Squads or regular Fortnite Zero Build Squads in Ranked. Given that Fortnite OG is based on the pre-zero build days, it’s not surprising to see that it’s one of the less popular ways to play.

However, this raises some concerns for other game modes. If Epic is willing to split its player base between so many modes, it might be the best idea to reduce some of the options like this, since no one wants to wait forever for a game.

NEXT: Epic Games Announces Loss Protection for Ranked in Fortnite OG