After Zero Point, Fortnite went with a slightly more prehistoric feel with Season 6, dubbed Primal. Players have been surviving a harsh wilderness filled with friendly and fearsome animals (including dinosaurs) and using a crafting system to make better weapons and armor. But the season is now close to wrapping up, on June 7th specifically, and all signs point to Fortnite Season 7 going for a sci-fi feel thanks to the presence of aliens.
Epic Games' teasing for the next season hasn't exactly been subtle. Mysterious Fortnite postcards sent to players appear to herald the aliens' appearance and crop circles have been discovered on the island itself. Now, actual UFOs have shown up, not that players can properly see them, and are abducting people.
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As shown in the below clip, it doesn't look like the UFOs are visible, with players' view of them being obstructed by the bright green light they emanate. It's impossible to miss the glow of their tractor beam and it takes a while for it to take effect, but players can be caught by it and taken to the UFO. Then, in a flash of light, they're transported to another location.
Whether this means the UFOs are just moving people or abducted characters are having their memories of what really happened while on board the UFO wiped is something for Fortnite players to theorize for the time being. Oddly enough, while being moved might be a tad annoying, abduction has its benefits. In the clip, the player has their shield gauge completely restored. Reportedly, abductions fully restore health as well.
Apparently, abductions are completely random and only seem to occur around the center of the map, so it's very likely that not every player will even see it happen. Regardless, with word of it having already spread throughout the community, it's doing its job of generating discussions and engagement for Season 7.
Given the sci-fi influences Season 7 may have and Fortnite's penchant for themed crossovers (e.g. Tomb Raider and Horizon Zero Dawn for Primal), fans could expect more sci-fi icons from other franchises make an appearance as an unlockable skin. Perhaps Epic will finally add the rumored and heavily demanded Samus Aran from Metroid.
That said, Epic is unlikely to limit itself to just space-faring characters. Despite Season 6's wilderness theme, players still saw the likes of DC's deadly assassin Deathstroke and even a character from the Mistborn fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson.
Fortnite is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.