Epic Games has celebrated the launch of Fortnite's new The Simpsons mini-season, which it says has welcomed "the biggest number of new and returning Fortnite players since last holiday season."

Public player data tracked by Fortnite.gg shows that a peak of 2.6 million players logged on both Saturday and Sunday, firstly to watch the live event that introduced The Simpsons aliens Kang and Kodos to Fortnite's battle royale Island, and secondly to then play on the game's new Springfield map when it came online.

The live event saw Fortnite's heroes scooped up in a UFO and transported to Springfield Island, a mash-up of Fortnite and The Simpsons filled with familiar locations and Easter eggs from the long-running animated series. Fan response to the new season and its highly-detailed map has been positive, and Epic Games seems pleased with player numbers.

"In 48 hours, we welcomed the biggest number of new and returning Fortnite players since last holiday season," the developer wrote in a social media post. "The first Fortnite | The Simpsons short popped to #1 on Disney+ today in the US. Move over Shelbyville..."

Fortnite's player numbers have dipped somewhat this year, amid tough competition from Roblox and a string of battle royale seasons that feel like they haven't landed with fans quite as expected. In September, during the game's alien bug season, the game's average daily numbers briefly sagged to around half a million players, though player counts then rallied as Fortnite began its annual Halloween celebrations.

While 2.6 million players this past weekend is impressive, Fortnite has recorded several higher player spikes this year for other events. A peak of 5.7 million players logged in on June 7 for Death Star Sabotage, the game's live event that served as the finale of its Star Wars mini-season. Fortnite also saw a spike to 3.9 million players on August 2 for its superhero season finale, and 3.3 million players for the launch of its Daft Punk Experience.

What remains to be seen is how many of those new and returning players stick around over the rest of this month, as Fortnite's The Simpsons season culminates in a big live event on November 29. This is expected to usher in the game's next big era — Chapter Seven — that looks set to feature a crossover with Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and, potentially, the return of Fortnite's heroic Seven faction.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social