Meteors have finally started hitting the ground in Fortnite - take a look

Screenshot / Business Insider

• On Thursday, "Fortnite: Battle Royale" players started seeing meteorites hitting the ground in the game. 
• These are the first reported impacts of the meteors making contact with players, after the game creators have been dropping hints that a major celestial event could change the game forever.
• Fans are freaking out as rumors swirl around the fate of the largest meteor in the sky, which many believe could take out the game's most popular area. 

"Fortnite: Battle Royale" players started seeing meteorites hitting the ground on Thursday, in the latest development of a series of in-game events that many believe are hinting toward an imminent, major change in the game.

The largest meteor, which was first spotted in the game last week, remains ever-present in the sky, and Tilted Towers - the popular game area where many people the meteor is destined to hit - is still standing.

However, if you log in to Fortnite right now, you'll have to add falling meteors to the list of dangers to avoid in the game. 

So far, a few players who have had close encounters with them have already shared photos and videos on social media, like this screenshot of a video posted to Reddit this morning:

Reddit user KaiserCrowz

Fan-blogs like Fortnite Insider have also been documenting the meteorites:

The meteorites, in combination with other Easter eggs rolled out by the creators of Fortnite this week, coincide with the fact that the game's third season will end next week, giving way to season four. Each season brings new weapons, and new cosmetic appearance items, to Fortnite Battle Royale. Many believe the creators at Epic Games are hinting that season 3 will end with a cosmic event.

In an effort to solve the meteor mystery, some hardcore fans have even opened up the game's code looking for clues, according to fan-blog Fortnite Intel, which reported that the latest update includes dozens of new meteor-related sound effects, some even labeled "Impact."