Fortnite update 12.51 PATCH NOTES: Server downtime maintenance, Party Royale event, LEAKS

Fortnite developer Epic Games is unleashing a brand new maintenance update for PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch.

Fortnite update 12.51 has been given a May 7 release date for consoles and PC.

Despite being a relatively minor update, the new patch will be accompanied by a period of server downtime.

The Fortnite servers will be taken offline for maintenance at 7am BST for UK fans, and should be back online by 9am BST.

The news was announced by Epic Games on Twitter: “Hi, everybody. A maintenance patch requiring downtime is scheduled to release on May 7. Downtime will begin at 2 AM ET (0600 UTC).

“We’ll update you here both when downtime begins and ends.”

According to the maintenance update early patch notes, the new Fortnite release will lay the foundations for this week’s Party Royale event.

Taking the form of a back-to-back concert, the Party Royale Premiere has been given a May 8 release date by Epic Games.

“Dillon Francis, Steve Aoki, and deadmau5 are coming to Party Royale with back-to-back-to-back sets LIVE on the big screen at the Main Stage,” reads an Epic tweet.

“Hit the dance floor, chill with friends, or jump into activities in Party Royale.”

As Epic points out, UK fans can catch the action live between 2-3am BST in the early hours of May 9. An encore presentation will take place at 7pm BST later that day.

Unlike previous events, you don’t need to login beforehand. Instead, you can jump in at any time to catch the Party Royale live sets.

Anybody who logs in during the weekend event will also receive a brand new music-reactive Neon Wings Back Bling for free.

Elsewhere, there’s also a chance maintenance update 12.51 will fix an issue with hit indicators showing the wrong direction, and make other fixes.

Fortnite update 12.51 early patch notes and potential fixes in full…

Battle Royale issues fixed in future game update…

• Hit Indicators show wrong direction.

 – Hit / Damage Indicators will sometimes appear to be coming from the wrong direction than the source of the damage.

Battle Royale issues currently in development…

• Party Assist for Missions temporarily unavailable.

– We are continuing to work on the updated Party Assist, but it will not be available before our next Season. We’ll provide an update when Party Assist is available again, as well as let you know what’s changed. Thank you for your patience.

• Unable to matchmake when Splitscreen’d after trying to join Creative.

– Players may find themselves unable to matchmake while in Splitscreen session if one of the players tries to join another friend in a Creative server.

• Split Screen: Game freezes when leaving party.

– Selecting “Leave Party” while in a Split Screen party on Xbox One may cause the game to freeze.

• Replays not saving.

– Some players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One may not see any recorded replays when viewing them in the Career tab.