In this file photo taken on June 12, 2018, people crowd the display area for the survival game Fortnite at the 24th Electronic Expo, or E3 2018, in Los Angeles
In this file photo taken on June 12, 2018, people crowd the display area for the survival game Fortnite at the 24th Electronic Expo, or E3 2018, in Los Angeles AFP / Frederic J. BROWN

Fans of internet gaming sensation Fortnite rejoiced Tuesday as a new chapter began, freeing them from staring at a black hole that marked the end of the last one.

"Drop into a New World Fortnite Chapter 2 is available now. Share your #FirstDrop!," Fortnite tweeted.

On Sunday, an asteroid blew up the Fortnite virtual world, where users must search for weapons and other resources while eliminating other players -- all while trying to stay alive.

Epic Games, Fortnite's creators, announced that Season 10 of the shoot-'em-up survival video game would end on October 13. Many users expected Season 11 to follow immediately.

Instead, the game was replaced with the on-screen image of a black hole. This lasted for about a day and a half, with users growing increasingly anxious, until the game came back on line Tuesday with the new chapter.

Sixteen-year-old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf is seen celebrating on July 28, 2019, after winning the Fortnite World Cup solo final in New York and taking home the $3 million prize
Sixteen-year-old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf is seen celebrating on July 28, 2019, after winning the Fortnite World Cup solo final in New York and taking home the $3 million prize GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Mike Stobe

The game has become an international craze, mostly among teenage boys, since launching in 2017.

Fortnite, available to play on smartphones as well as computers, keeps interest high among its 250 million players around the globe by offering several significant updates per year.

It follows the "freemium" model: it is free to play but users can purchase cosmetic changes during the game.

In July, 16-year-old American Kyle Giersdorf won the first Fortnite World Cup, played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

Giersdorf -- whose mother told ESPN that he plays up to 10 hours of Fortnite a day -- took home $3 million in prize money.

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