Fortnite Patch Leaks New Machine Pistol Weapon For Battle Royale

Epic Games released the Fortnite version 7.10 update yesterday following a slight delay caused by a surprise bug. The patch brought a number of changes, but one remained hidden for a future release: the Machine Pistol weapon. According to a new report, the v7.10 patch contained assets that indicate Epic may bring this firearm to the battle royale portion of its hit game.

The Machine Pistol is exactly what it sounds like: a hybrid firearm featuring element from both the machine gun and the pistol. This automatic weapon is already available in Fortnite's Save the World mode, which features a number of weapons, skins, and other elements that aren't available in the game's Battle Royale mode.

A look at the 7.10 patch revealed assets containing the Machine Pistol, resulting in the 3D render below:

Why assume the gun is coming to Battle Royale? The image found in the patch contains the name "SK_MachinePistol_BR," the last two letters of which hint that this is a battle royale variant of the firearm. Epic had delayed the update over an undisclosed bug; it's unclear whether the weapon had been planned for the 7.10 release initially but was bumped to a future update.

The presence of the new assets, which includes a new design and audio file, indicate the weapon could be deployed in the game very soon. Epic hasn't confirmed plans to launch the device, but this wouldn't be the first time it brought Save the World elements to Battle Royale.