A Gulag-style revival system could make Fortnite matches so much more entertaining.

Following a somewhat lackluster entry into the Battle Royale realm with Blackout in 2018, blockbuster video game publisher Activision struck gold on their second shot, Call of Duty: Warzone.

Warzone introduced BR fans to the “Gulag” revival system, as well as the ability to buy back fallen squad members. These mechanics do wonders for the pacing of lobbies, and help keep people engaged even in they are temporarily out of the action.

So, how does it work?

The first time a player dies in a Warzone match, they are transported to the Gulag. This is a small arena, completely separate to the main map, in which they can fight for the chance to head back into battle.

Players will take on an enemy head-to-head, with the victor allowed to redeploy and join their teammates. A built in-overtime feature ensures that these duels are always decided within sixty seconds.

Gulag Shenanigans Volume 1, with @NICKMERCS & @Cloakzy ??#MFAM pic.twitter.com/Vu9aBDpAwY

— #MFAM (@MFAMCentral) November 8, 2020

Generally, each player may only visit the Gulag once per game, though the developers have experimented with alternative modes in which you can go back multiple times.

Unsurprisingly, the idea of bringing something similar to Fortnite has been mentioned a lot this past year, but up until now, Epic Games has shown no indication of such plans. However, we know they’re not opposed to borrowing concepts from other titles, Season 5’s currency and bounty system was another “Warzone did it first” moment.

What’s changed?

In the recent v17.10 patch, “Abductor” UFOs were added to standard non-competitive playlists. These Abductors teleport players to the alien Mothership, where they can race against opponents to collect special orbs and earn top tier loot.

Though this currently has nothing to do with reviving eliminated players, it proves that a Gulag-style mechanic is technically possible within Fortnite. People can be taken to an isolated area with different rules and design elements, without negatively impacting the overall server performance.

WE ARE SO GETTING A GULAG IN FORTNITE.

Getting abducted is actually so cool right now. 10/10 update not even joking

— Nick Eh 30 (@NickEh30) June 22, 2021

To make the experience unique to Fortnite, a second chance system could send players to a special 1 vs 1 build fight or box fight map, perhaps with a fast-closing storm to keep things quick. The winner would then glide back down to the Island, Pistol in hand.

This would be a fantastic way to combat the rapidly dying public lobbies, keeping more players alive for longer, and reducing the amount of downtime between engagements. We’ve already started to see slight improvements here since Abductors arrived on Tuesday, simply because people are onboard the Mothership rather than fighting.

Whether or not Epic is deliberately using Abductors as a way to test a potential Gulag system is debatable, but it’s certainly interesting to consider. If implemented correctly, it could bring a huge boost to the casual Fortnite scene.