FORTNITE UPDATE 1

The Fortnite Storm Zone update was released earlier today on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

As a surprise, EPIC Games also announced that the team had managed to add a VOIP option on PC as well.

And in a further tweet, the official twitter account explained the developers are "Working towards implementing VOIP on other platforms" with more information coming to players "soon"!

The patch notes for this new feature can be viewed below, but further patch notes can also be viewed underneath the gallery.

• Voice Over IP has been added to PC• Push-to-Talk is on by default and is bound to the Y key• Voice activation is also an option• Squad voice chat is on by default. Players can disable this in the settings• We are working towards implementing VOIP on other platforms, more information soon

ORIGINAL STORY - Fortnite is down this morning as developers prepare to push through the games newest update.

"The release of 1.7.2 brings quality-of-life improvements for both Save the World and Battle Royale players. What’s more, numerous bugs, issues and Xbox One crashes have been smoothed out alongside an update to Storm Zones," claim the Epic Games developers.

The official announcement also added that Save the World players will have "the opportunity to battle through many more Storm Zones with the release of 1.7.2. The number of possible Mutant Storm spawns has greatly increased in each region, meaning more challenges, more monsters, and more loot!"

Patch 1.7.1 is being deployed now and the developers expect the game to be offline for 2 hours for both Battle Royale and Save the World players. That would mean the game returns with the new update available at 11am BST this morning.

However, based on past updates which have been released for the game, it's been quite common for downtime to overrun, or for one or two errors after the launch to occur, so err on the side of caution and expect some additional downtime on top.

The developers have also shared some the new EA 1.7.2 Patch Notes for the game, which explain some of the biggest changes. FAQ to answer some of the biggest queries fans have

You can find all of this info below the gallery.

GAMEPLAY

You can now switch between teammates while spectating.Fixed an issue which caused enemy players to instantaneously appear once they emerged from behind an object.This issue occurred frequently if shadows were disabled in the game options.Fixed a bug which allowed players to jump indefinitely.Fixed an issue which caused DBNO (Down, But Not Out) to trigger jump pads.Fixed an issue which caused crosshair hit-markers to sometimes not show up.WEAPONS

Medium Ammo stacks increased from 10 to 20.Rocket Ammo spawn rate decreased by 25%.Players no longer display their weapon while DBNO (Down, But Not Out.)CONTROLS

Added a new sensitivity sliders for “Targeting Multiplier” and “Scoped Multiplier” to the Game Options.Removed mouse smoothing.Players can now tilt the camera higher and lower than before.PERFORMANCE

Reduced the time it takes to load into the map from the matchmaking lobby.General improvements to loading times and frame rate.AUDIO

Increased the distance that building audio can be heard.

The maximum number of daily Mutant Storms that can be completed has been increased from 3 to 4.Increased the number of possible Mutant Storms that can spawn.Stonewood was 3 is now 5.Plankerton was 3 is now 8.Canny Valley was 3 is now 9.Twine Peaks was 3 is now 10.Adjusted the crafting requirements for the Trash Cannon:Previous recipe:3 Ore12 Mechanical Parts15 BlastpowderNew recipe:10 Blastpowder8 Mechanical Parts2 OreHEROES

Players should no longer get stuck by the Shockwave ability animation if knocked back by the effect.The “Going Commando" ability will now correctly deal damage from long distances.Fixed an issue which caused the Raider Headhunter’s support bonus to be calculated incorrectly.In most cases, this will decrease the support bonus you receive.GENERAL

Fixed a number of client crashes.

PC/MAC ONLY

Fixed an issue which caused an "insert disk" message to appear for some users immediately after startup.

UI

Corrected text and symbols on the Inventor and Gadget cards.KNOWN ISSUE

Players are occasionally shown different rewards on the Victory and Mission rewards screens.For example: Players may be shown Level 5 loot on the Victory screen, and then shown an icon for Level 4 loot on the Mission Rewards screen. The player is actually receiving Level 5 loot.The icon shown to players on the Mission Rewards screen is incorrect and will be fixed in a future patch.