Fortnite
Fortnite
Here’s how Fortnite Crew members can receive their free emote
Olivia Richman
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
Spanish Fortnite streamer Grefg smashes Twitch viewership records
Nina Forneloza
David “Grefg” Cánovas Martínez has absolutely shattered the livestreaming concurrent viewer record, peaking at an absurd 2.5 million viewers on January 11. YA ESTÁ AQUÍ.Esta es la skin de @TheGrefg. Disponible el 16/01. pic.twitter.com/KZMHiRe1YT — Team Heretics (@TeamHeretics) January 11, 2021 The Fortnite streamer blazed past previous milestones, surpassing Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ record by about 1.3 million. In comparison, he had 1.6 million more viewers than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had when …
Fortnite
YouTube Gaming shuts down Khanada’s stream after Twitch ban
Fariha Bhatti
Streamers banned on Twitch often move to YouTube to continue their careers. But Fortnite competitive player Leon “Khanada” Khim’s switch to YouTube Gaming from Twitch has resulted in yet another ban. Built by Gamers’ Fortnite professional Khanada’s YouTube career is off to a poor start as the streamer was banned from YouTube streaming just 20 minutes into his first broadcast. His stream came to an abrupt end, leaving his fans …
Fortnite
Bugha signs new two-year contract with Sentinels on birthday
Olivia Richman
Fortnite superstar Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf re-signed with Sentinels earlier this week. Bugha tweeted a video of himself singing the contract. Sentinel replied, “Once a Sentinel, always a Sentinel.” Fellow Fortnite content creator Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler sent an enthusiastic, “Let’s go!” Proud to announce that i’m resigning to @Sentinels for another 2 years! ????#SENFamily #SENUP pic.twitter.com/FV9fd2VXjI — Bugha (@bugha) December 30, 2020 The two-year contract was a great way for the …
Fortnite
What happened to popular Fortnite streamer Tfue?
Nina Forneloza
According to Wikipedia, Tfue is the second most followed Twitch streamer behind only Richard “Ninja” Blevins. Tfue is most known for his Fortnite streams, but he originally got his start with games such as Call of Duty and Destiny. He got into battle royale games such as H1Z1 and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds before finding his groove in Fortnite. After a heated and very public lawsuit against popular gaming organization FaZe Clan, …
Fortnite
Master Chief enters Fortnite alongside The Walking Dead skins
Steven Rondina
Fortnite’s stable of special skins is expanding rapidly and in a surprising direction. Epic Games has long done amazing work, but it’s expanding its stable further by adding both video game icons and pop culture personalities. During The Game Awards 2020, Epic announced two surprising new additions to Fortnite and one not-so-surprising one. Defender of humanity and destroyer of alien ringworlds, the Master Chief arrives as the next Hunter to …
Fortnite
Fortnite World Cup cancelled through 2021, FNCS return announced
Steven Rondina
Unfortunately, Fortnite esports in 2021 will look largely similar to Fortnite esports in 2020. Epic Games outlined its plans for the game’s competitive scene next year and alas, those plans do not include in-person events. Notably, it will also feature the standardization of trio play after long bouncing between singles, duos, trios, and squads. We’re making some changes to competitive play in 2021. We touch on FNCS, in-person events, and …
Fortnite
8-year-old Fortnite player signs sponsorship deal with Team 33
Olivia Richman
The esports community was blown away by the recent signing of an eight-year-old Fortnite content creator. A newly formed esports organization called Team 33 signed eight-year-old Joseph Deen to their Fortnite squad for a $33,000 signing bonus. The young gamer was also given a $5,000 gaming setup. A press release from the organization states that Team 33 has been working with Deen since he was six. Co-founder Tyler Gallagher explained that …
xQc shares wholesome moment with a kid while streaming Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Variety streamer Felix “xQc” Lengyel showed a different side of himself in a recent stream. Known for his controversial antics and outrageous outbursts, xQc surprised his fans with some of the most wholesome content they’ve ever seen while streaming Fortnite. After winning a game of Fortnite, xQc congratulated his teammate, telling the younger kid he should be proud of himself. “You’re the real one?” the kid asked. “Yeah, I’m the …
Fortnite Kratos skin leaked, Master Chief rumored for Season 5
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
With the Fortnite season themed around Marvel Comics done, Fortnite fans can now look forward to Chapter 2 Season 5. With this new season being themed around “hunts,” two intriguing new skins are set to arrive. A few days after the titular character of Disney’s The Mandalorian series was confirmed as a character, Sony accidentally let slip that God of War lead Kratos will also be dropping in Fortnite in …
Fortnite Season 5 update introduces golden bars and the Mandalorian
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
After a record-breaking Galactus event that garnered a peak of 15.3 million concurrent players, Epic Games has finally revealed the details about Chapter 2 Season 5. The latest season, titled “Zero Point,” includes new weapons, bars, and significant map changes. Fortnite’s Season 5 is anything but ordinary. The developer succeeded to break its own record of 12.3 million concurrent players during the Travis Scott concert in April (and the 10.7 …
Fortnite Season 5 leak hints at another new Black Hole event
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Remember when Fortnite completely disappeared for Epic’s “The End” event? Season X didn’t just end. The game was completely taken down as a result. The servers were gone. The website was gone. And the official Fortnite Twitch channel was nothing but a black hole, which many thousands of viewers stared at in anticipation. Well, it’s looking like Epic might be planning another Black Hole type of event for Fortnite Season …
72-year-old Twitch streamer OldBuzzardt passes away
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
It’s a sad day for the Fortnite community. 72-year-old Twitch streamer OldBuzzardt has passed away. With over 80,000 followers, the Fortnite streamer had a loyal audience. He even had his own Creator Code in the popular battle royale. The streamer, who went by Buzz, went live almost every day for about five hours to chat with fans and play Fortnite. Just went live! https://t.co/Whi7XKX3Xs — Oldbuzzardt (@oldbuzzardt) October 19, 2020 …
Ninja signs exclusive deal with Hollywood talent agency CAA
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Streaming superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is making his first big step towards a career in Hollywood. Ninja recently signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation in all areas, according to The Hollywood Reporter. CAA states that it represents “storytellers, trendsetters, icons, and thought leaders who shape popular culture” across film, digital media, and sports. CAA represents thousands of the world’s “leading actors, directors, writers, producers, comedians, authors, athletes, chefs, …
Four skin bundles leaked ahead of Fortnitemares Halloween event
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
After Fortnite’s 14.30 update, data miners have uncovered some skins that won’t be available until the Fortnitemares Halloween event. Epic Games has been a little slow with new content compared to previous seasons. Starved for more content, leakers have been continuously digging for new things to look forward to in their favorite battle royale. With Halloween right around the corner, most games are celebrating with skins and game modes. Fortnite …
FaZe Ewok comes out as trans and bisexual on Coming Out Day
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
October 11 is national Coming Out Day, giving Fortnite streamer Soleil “Ewok” Wheeler the courage to share something very personal with their fans. Ewok shared a TwitLonger over the weekend that revealed they are transgender, female to male, as well as bisexual. Coming out…Read: https://t.co/ympdxhVFOn — FaZe Ewok (@Ewok) October 11, 2020 In their coming out message, Ewok, who goes by he/him, stated that they “never felt right” in their …
Ninja roasts his teammate during his own Fortnite tournament
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has been hosting the Ninja Battles tournament series, which features an impressive $80,000 prize pool. And he has made some spicy contributions to it along the way. The Entire #NinjaBattles Process has been such a wonderful ride and an amazing learning experience. Huge shoutout to @StableRonaldo and @paper_fn for playing 2day. All and all it has been an incredible experience, thank you to all who participated from …
Is Fortnite still growing? Are people still playing it?
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite fans were excited when Tyler “Ninja” Blevins returned to Twitch earlier this year. But the streaming sensation mostly switched to Valorant soon after. While Valorant, Among Us, and Fall Guys have been taking over the streaming scene, Fortnite fans may feel like the battle royale is losing its following and players. Even though it’s now sharing more of the streaming spotlight than before, Fortnite has consistently been a popular …
Gen.G putting together special Fortnite event Mystic Map Mayhem
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Gen.G is set to host a fun and unique Fortnite event. The esports organization is putting together Mystic Map Mayhem, a unique tournament that will pit players against each other in a series of custom maps across “14 nights of Fortnite.” The event will be hosted in conjunction with Samsung, a company Gen.G has a history of working with. Third-party Fortnite events have been put together in a number of …
Cloud9 Fortnite roster recruitments continue, Nosh joins second
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Cloud9 is rejoining the Fortnite scene with Nosh being the second addition to its roster. The North American organization announced the news on Twitter with a video montage featuring Nosh’s in-game highlights. Nosh will be joining fellow countryman Avery “Avxry” LoPriore, who is also a new addition to Cloud9. The announcement of his recruitment was followed by Axvry’s arrival into the Cloud9 Fortnite roster. “The second member of #C9FN NA …
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.
