Fortnite Season 9 teaser images tease that Neo Tilted Towers may be coming

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The next season of Fortnite is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.

Update May 8: Here it is, the last piece of the puzzle: Epic is spelling out NEO, and it wants you to know "The Future is Tilted". Could the map get a sci-fi future city called Neo Tilted Towers after the original was destroyed by a volcanic eruption during the Unvaulting Event?

Update May 7: Right on schedule, Epic released another teaser image for Fortnite Season 9. Have a look:  

The latest image looks like a woman in pilot or soldier garb, by my reckoning, which is pretty different from the cyber ninja in the previous teaser. It's also emblazoned with an 'E' to add to the 'N' of the first teaser, which sadly blows my ninja theory out of the water. Curiously, the taglines on the teasers are both similar: we've gone from "The Future is Unknown" to "The Future is Bright." Using the letters we've seen thus far and the focus on the future, I've formed a new theory (which I totally didn't steal from a coworker): Ned. The future is Ned. As in Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. 

Wake up, people. 

Original story: 

Fortnite Season 9 is just days away, so it's no surprise to see Epic drop a teaser image or two to ramp up the excitement. The first Fortnite Season 9 teaser is pretty darn curious, and compared to previous teasers, it's fairly hard to decode. See for yourself:

It looks like a ninja wearing a demonic Noh mask to me, but there's also a sci-fi bend to it which reminds me of the recent Unvaulting event. I don't know if it's the neon eyes or the porcelain mask or the blue-to-purple gradient put over the whole thing, but it definitely has an ethereal vibe to it, not unlike the vault room where players brazenly reclaimed the Drum Gun. I mean, the revealing streak in this teaser image does look like a big 'N.' This may just be me reading too much into things, but I choose to believe it's 'N' as in ninja. 

The Unvaulting followed weeks of buildup, including a mysterious dig site and a volcanic eruption. The volcano blew up half the freakin' map, so it's safe to say it'll have some effect on the new season, but between the two, I reckon the vault will be more relevant to the theme and tone of Season 9. I definitely get the feeling ol' Ninja Mask here is connected to it. But hell, I don't know - I'm trying to build a bridge out of breadcrumbs here, and new Fortnite seasons are often total surprises. We'll find out where Season 9 falls in a few days. 

Here's everything in the latest Fortnite patch notes.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.