Fortnite Twitch Streamers Express Concerns Over Changes to Squads Mode
Several popular Fortnite: Battle Royale Twitch streamers have voiced their dissatisfaction with the recent changes to the game’s default Squads mode. The changes were implemented in the v8.20 update released yesterday.
Well-known streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was especially vocal about his dislike for the changes. In a tweet, he stated that squads were now “dumb and boring.” He even retweeted comments from fellow streamer and pro player Symfuhny, who complained about long queue times for Fortnite matches.
Concerns Raised by Streamers
Other streamers, like Dakotaz and Jack “CouRage” Dunlop, also expressed their concerns, although less explicitly. Dakotaz claimed that Epic Games had “messed up” and that time would prove this to be true. CouRage jokingly referred to the update as a “nightmare,” emphasizing the removal of health per kill, materials per kill, and faster farming rates in public games.
Professional player and streamer Daequan Loco was more direct in his complaint, stating that Squads mode was now dead. He expressed doubt about playing with his friends in Fortnite again, as he found the changes to be detrimental to the gameplay experience. Daequan requested that Epic Games revert the changes of v8.20, as he believed they were enjoyable before.
Squads Mode Takes the Hit
Streamers primarily focused their criticism on the Squads game mode, as they lamented the elimination of Siphon mechanics, which provided health and materials upon eliminating opponents. They felt that Solo and Duos modes were less affected since Siphon mechanics still exist in the newly-released Arena Mode. Unfortunately, there is no Squads Arena Mode available.
Epic Games has yet to comment on the changes made in the v8.20 update.