Those new Fortnite map-leaked images are fake

Fortnite had another viral moment last October when it literally shut down the game for two days, leaving gamers with only an image of a black hole. Since that time, the game has embraced a new map and new chapter in its story.

But season 1 of that first chapter — which has lasted from October 2019 to January 2020 — is about to end.

A second chapter is on the way. And it could bring massive changes.

Or maybe not.

What's going on: Multiple reports suggested a bunch of leaked images show what's to come in Fornite chapter 2, season 2, including a slight map change that will certainly have gamers rethinking their approach to playing.

But apparently those leaks are fake. KinaKingy explained in a Reddit post he made the fake images to bolster some season 2 chatter and go viral, according to FortniteIntel. But the images are fake.

There was some skepticism about the leaks since they originated on the social media platform 4chan. Fake leaks have happened before with this game.

What the fake leaks showed: The fake leaked offer a hint at a map change, which usually come with new seasons in Fortnite.

The slurp: Slurpy Swamp and Misty Meadows have been destroyed and there's a giant purple flooding over the area. There's a dam at that part of the map that keeps back the blue slurpy water. The leaks hint that the dam might have broken and flooded the locations.

Toxic: A glance at Steamy Stacks shows a pink smoke hovering above the area. This might indicate that the Steamy Stacks location — which is a pair of stacks holding in purple smoke — has crashed or gone haywire, leading to a flood of the toxic air.

Trailer: Two stills of the season 2 trailer show characters staring into the distance with a purple filter around them.

What they're saying: Forbes writer Paul Tassi explained why these leaks would be real.

The power plant exploding would fit the ongoing plot, which includes there being heroic and villainous versions of each character running across the island. There are "chaos"-themed characters in this season, which would fit the idea of them blowing up a factory, Tassi wrote.

"And if Slurpy and Misty are destroyed in some other way as well, we could see a different kind of destruction in action over there (flooding, potentially)," according to Tassi.

Bigger picture: The Fortnite season has been one of the longer ever. Epic Games announced recently that the game will be updating to add a new Unreal Engine's Chaos physics system, whatever that means.

Date: The new season will reportedly begin Feb. 20.

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