And when you returned? Suddenly, the floating islands around the cube were gone, and things looked decidedly more normal -- Epic had changed the map while you weren't looking.

There's no doubt that this was a calculated move to have players sign on en masse and share what they were doing. Even so, it's a testament to both Fortnite's ongoing popularity and how multiplayer games are evolving. Round-based titles like this now have global shared experiences that both unite the community and turn seemingly ordinary games into grand spectacles.