Tue Apr 22 09:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Fortnite Update 34.40 Causes Brief Outage, Ushers in Star Wars Season and Unban Wave

**London, UK** – Fortnite experienced a planned but noticeable outage Tuesday morning as Epic Games rolled out its v34.40 update. The downtime, which began at 4 a.m. ET and lasted several hours, impacted hundreds of users according to Downdetector. Matchmaking was disabled 30 minutes prior to minimize disruption to players.

The update paves the way for Fortnite’s next major thematic season, “Fortnite Galactic Battle,” a Star Wars-themed event launching May 2nd. Update 34.40 includes early tie-ins to the Star Wars season, along with new cosmetics featuring Jenna Ortega, Marvel’s Thunderbolts, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The update also introduces new game mechanics and assets for creators.

A significant aspect of the update is the beginning of a large-scale unbanning of previously banned players, following a policy change announced earlier this year by Epic Games. To manage this, a new “Tournament Ban” token has been added to prevent unbanned players with prior offenses from participating in tournaments.

Fortnite leaker @ShiinaBR highlighted the update’s extensive content, hinting at further Star Wars content and seasonal teasers to come. The leaker also noted the massive unban wave in preparation for the update’s launch.

With over 650 million registered users, 60 million daily active users, and 110 million monthly active users, Fortnite maintains player engagement through regular updates. Minor updates are released every 1–2 weeks, while major updates, like v34.40, occur approximately every 10–12 weeks.

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