CARY – To say interest in Fortnite’s latest event was tremendous is, well, an understatement. Cary-based Epic Games concedes it was overwhelmed as millions of players rushed to join its “The Device” event.

“We were overwhelmed by the response to The Device. At 12M players in-game, we capped participation for stability while 8.4M more watched live on Twitch + YouTube,” the Cary-based deverloper of the globally popular game.

“As we push the edge of what live-events can be, we’re improving systems so more of you can experience them in-game.”

And the multi-player game delivered lots of action.

The Agency, a key building on the Fortnite island, was destroyed and – stay with us, non-gamers – the purple storm became a wall of water, hinting at what’s to come in the third season, which is set to start on Wednesday.

Epic, which says another recent event drew some 27 million participants, had warned the hundreds of millions of Fortnite players to expect an online traffic jam.

“The Device is set to be activated on June 15 at 2PM ET,” Epic tweeted earlier Monday.

“Space is limited! Show up 30 minutes early to help secure your spot and be there live.”

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But the virtual event – which had been delayed three times – filled up in a minute.

“Today’s event has reached capacity,” Epic tweeted quickly.

“If you’re not already in game, we recommend catching the event via livestream.”

Players were directed to:

  • https://fn.gg/TwitchDirectory
  • https://fn.gg/YouTubeDirect
  • https://fn.gg/MixerDirectory

For holed-up gamers who had waited weeks for the event to take place, which marks the end of the game’s Chapter 2 Season 2, the announcement was surely frustrating.

“They have more than enough money to create enough server space for everyone,” one person tweeted, summarizing the overall discontent. “They recommended queuing up at 1:30. I queued up at 1:25. I am beyond mad.”

“You better give every kid that tried to get in a skin or a free battle pass because this is ridiculous. You delay the last two season and Delay this event by two weeks and now half the people can’t even get it,” said another.

Many compared the event to Travis Scott’s virtual concert on Fortnite, saying that the servers should’ve been able to handle more players if they were able to handle the more than 12 million people that viewed his concert.

Epic Games did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the limited server capacity.

“The Device” and the launch of season 3 were both delayed earlier this month due to widespread protests and outrage over George Floyd’s death.

“Recent events are a heavy reminder of ongoing injustices in society, from the denial of basic human rights to the impact of racism both overt and subtle against people of color,” Epic Games said in a blog post at the time. “The team is eager to move Fortnite forward, but we need to balance the Season 3 launch with time for the team to focus on themselves, their families, and their communities.”

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