Fortnite
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Nickmercs reveals that he is now a FaZe Clan co-owner
Olivia Richman
Streamer Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff is no longer just a content creator for FaZe Clan. He is now a part-owner of the popular esports organization. The rumor began when The Verge introduced Nickmercs as “part-owner” of FaZe Clan within an article about the popular Fortnite personality. At the time, FaZe Clan and Nickmercs had not publicly confirmed the alleged ownership but Nickmercs decided to make a comment about the rumor the …
Fortnite
Is the Fortnite World Cup happening this year in 2021?
Steven Rondina
Global lockdowns and travel restrictions have hit every esport in different ways. Some quickly adjusted and returned to something resembling normalcy, as has been the case with League of Legends. Others saw a mass exodus of notable organizations and prominent players. Fortnite was most certainly in the latter camp. Many of the game’s most prominent names have transitioned into being variety streamers, but even some of Fortnite’s most successful esports …
Fortnite
Rocket Launcher, Cuddle Fish vaulted from Fortnite competitive
Steven Rondina
Fortnite’s competitive scene is in for a big change when it comes to the game’s explosive weaponry. Epic Games has announced that Rocket Launchers, Mechanical Explosive Bows, and Cuddle Fish are all vaulted out of competitive Fortnite playlists. This effectively nixes every explosive weapon from the game with the exception of the standard issue grenade. Boom Boom????. Buh-bye ????We’ve made the decision to remove the following items from competitive playlists:Rocket …
Fortnite
#RipFortnite trends on Twitter after Epic goes after Clix
Olivia Richman
The Fortnite community has become obsessed with betting on matches between two talented pros in a custom lobby. This has become especially important for Fortnite streamers to rake in some dough and create content now that there are a lot fewer official events. But Epic has started to crack down on this popular pastime when it involves underaged players. Cody “Clix” Conrad has been involved in a lot of wagered …
Fortnite Season 6 brings new maps, wolves, and Neymar to arena
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite’s Season 6 is upon us, and it brings tons of exciting in-game cosmetics, video game characters including Lara Croft, Raven from Teen Titans, and keenly awaited football star Neymar Jr.’s exclusive skin. The new season dubbed “Primal” kicked off on March 16, and it requires players to help Agent Jones stop reality from collapsing. The scenery sees tons of changes and the addition of new stuff to discover. Season …
Fortnite trio disqualified from FNCS after threatening Epic CCO
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
A competitive trio has been disqualified from the Fortnite Championship Series after one of its players told Epic Games’ chief creative officer to kill himself. Dictate, Userz, and Wrigley were preparing to compete in the FNCS’ NA East tournament this weekend. But the trio was disqualified earlier today after Wrigley told Epic Games’ CCO, Donald Mustard, to “fucking kill yourself.” The tweet, along with Wrigley’s entire account, has since been …
Cloakzy officially leaves FaZe Clan after four years
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Dennis “Cloakzy” Lepore has finally parted ways with FaZe Clan after lengthy contractual disputes between the two parties. The former captain for FaZe Clan’s Fortnite roster and more recent Call of Duty: Warzone content creator has announced his official exit from FaZe Clan after a four-year stint with the organization. The streamer’s time with FaZe Clan has been splattered with controversies and drama since the beginning of 2019. However, Croakzy …
SypherPK begs Epic Games to slow down Fortnite crossovers
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite streamer Ali “SypherPK” Hassan is sick of the battle royale’s constant crossovers. For the past few seasons, Fortnite has been heavy on its crossovers, including GI Joe, Alien, DC, Borderlands, John Wick, Halo, Ninja, and Marvel. Fortnite has also featured concerts with popular singers and even movie showings. Season 5 has been focused on these crossovers, bringing players tons of cosmetics but not many new items or meaningful changes …
Fortnite data miners claim Ant-Man is the next new Marvel skin
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Leakers have found something huge in Fortnite’s files. But it’s also very small. Fortnite fans love nothing more than data mining for upcoming cosmetics and events in the ever-popular battle royale. This time, data miners have found evidence that they believe means Ant-Man will be the next Marvel hero to get a character skin. For the past few weeks, Fortnite fans have seen portals opening up around the map. The …
Fortnite and Street Fighter collab brings Ryu, Chun-Li skins
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Fortnite Episode 2 Chapter 5 has seen the game transformed into what has been accurately described as a “pop culture singularity.” Fortnite has drawn in and absorbed many of the hottest things in movies, television, and video games. With Fortnite’s 15th season already adding Kratos from God of War, the Master Chief from Halo, the main character of The Mandalorian, Daryl and Michonne from The Walking Dead, and the T-800 …
Fornite’s Hearts Wild update brings new outfits, duo cup, more
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Epic Games has always been keen on keeping up with trends and festivals. The developer has now rolled out a new update, revealing Hearts Wild as a new event in Fortnite to celebrate Valentine’s day. The dark landscape of Fortnite following the tragic zero-point event will finally get something more positive from the developers in the form of a “lovely” makeover. The Hearts Wild update will shower the battlegrounds with …
Ninja may be quitting Fortnite over “clout-chasing losers”
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Streaming megastar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins went back to his roots and played Fortnite in a recent stream, but he quickly came to regret that decision. Ninja even said he may never play the battle royale again. During a live stream, Ninja started complaining about getting stream sniped four games in a row. While Ninja was distracted in a fight, the other player would run up and kill him. Ninja got …
TSM exits Fortnite, releases all pro players from its roster
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
TSM has announced the withdrawal of its Fortnite division and is subsequently parting ways with three professional players. The North American organization officialized the news of exiting the Fortnite scene on Monday, leaving three of its professional players as free agents. The news wraps up Rocco “Saf” Morales, Kerry “Ferrrnando” Salas, and Mack “MackWood” Aesoph’s tenure in TSM ahead of 2021 season. Today we’re announcing our departure from competitive Fortnite …
Predator enters Fortnite Island in patch 15.20 update
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Epic Games has finally revealed the newest addition to Fortnite’s bounty hunter theme in the shape of a supervillain. Chapter 2 Season 5 Battle Pass brings the sinister Predator as part of the game’s Zero Point arc. The villian from the 1987 classic movie Predator has finally made its way to Fortnite’s Zero Point arc, all set to wreak havoc. The creature enters Fortnite as something players have never seen …
Fortnite “damage opponents in vehicles” challenge has fans mad
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Epic Games is often adding new content and challenges to Fortnite and not all of it is a hit. Players are asking Epic to remove vehicle-related challenges from the game. Vehicles have become an increasingly big part of the popular battle royale and while they’re entertaining to use, their value in terms of actually winning. While great for moving quickly around the map, the planes, boats, and cars tend to …
Here’s how Fortnite Crew members can receive their free emote
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Epic Games introduced the Fortnite Crew in December, and new members are having issues. Fortnite Crew launched in December with a lot of bugs, including many of its new members seeing an abundance of error messages and delays. To make up for these mistakes, Epic is now offering a free emote exclusively for Fortnite Crew members. Players must have a subscription to the program to get this “Members Only” emote. …
Fortnite has come a long way over the course of the game’s lifespan. What began as an upstart early-access title with base-building mechanics would eventually transform into the world’s most popular and lucrative video game, capturing the attention of millions upon millions of players across the world and entering into the mainstream cultural lexicon.
But how exactly did that happen? How did one of many games released by developer Epic Games manage to transform in real-time into something with such potential, and to what extent did Fortnite really grow? The answers are indicative of what it takes for a game to go from new and struggling to becoming a global phenomenon.
The original vision for Fortnite was very different compared to the game that is so widely popular today. Developers at Epic Games intended to create a game that would merge base-building mechanics with the popular shooting gameplay that the company was best known for, from its experience releasing such titles those found in the Unreal Tournament and Gears of War franchises.
While that vision was altered even prior to Fortnite’s initial release, with a darker creative look becoming brighter and more reminiscent of children’s cartoons, the first release of Fortnite did feature that original focus. Titled Fortnite: Saves the World, this was a paid early-access release that met moderate fanfare and player enthusiasm.
A follow-up release would do far better. That follow-up was Fortnite Battle Royale, a free-to-play version of the game that featured the core mechanics and experience players most associate with the Fortnite name today. The battle royale game mode, thrown together in just a couple of months by developers, was at the time a relatively new concept. A multitude of players would be dropped onto one map to do battle with each other, accruing resources and weaponry in an open-world environment to better equip themselves for combat. Eventually, the game’s playable map size would shrink over time, forcing players to engage with each other until only one winning player was left standing.
It’s a simple concept, but in 2017 it was fresh and new. Players quickly flocked to try this early battle royale game, and within weeks of its free-to-play release, Fortnite Battle Royale was playing host to millions of players.
First and foremost, the success of Fortnite can be seen in the extreme revenue numbers generated by the game for maker Epic Games. Just a few short years after its release, Fortnite had already led to billions of dollars in revenue for Epic. This success was enough to send reverberations throughout the entire video game industry. Dozens of clones would follow, trying to recapture the battle royale magic that Fortnite had so successfully crystallized, but it proved difficult for most.
Money wasn’t the only marker of the game’s ascendance, however. Fortnite broached popular mainstream culture in a way that few video games ever have. Popular streamer and former Halo pro Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was at the fore of this wave of popularity, co-streaming with rap superstar Drake and appearing on numerous television talk shows to discuss the game and the craze surrounding it. Popular musicians beyond Drake also got involved with the game, as Travis Scott and Marshmello hosted live, in-game concerts to both popular and critical acclaim.
The Fortnite World Cup raised the game’s profile even further in some circles. Held at the famous Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, the event awarded $3 million to 16-year-old phenom Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, who then found himself paraded through mainstream media circles just as Ninja had been before him.
While its apex may have come and gone, Fortnite remains one of the most popular and successful games in the world today, continuing to play host to many millions of players while generating major revenues for Epic Games.
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