Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite leaker reveals some crazy new unreleased weapons
Olivia Richman
Fortnite is full of out-of-this-world weapons and vehicles, from shopping carts to B.R.U.T.E. mechs. And there could be some even crazier new options on the way. Despite the fanbase enjoying Season 5 since it arrived earlier this month, data miners are never truly satisfied. They are always looking for the next wild update. In this case, a Fortnite leaker going by ximton found a series of unreleased weapons that seem …
Fortnite
Fortnite leak uncovers new vehicle with mounted weapon
Olivia Richman
Epic Games is known to shake up Fortnite. This has included adding vehicles like the X-Wing fighter plane and the B.R.U.T.E. mech. Now, data miners have uncovered another new vehicle coming to the popular battle royale. The leaks have revealed a weapon with a mounted gun, one of the first weapons in some time to not only help players traverse the island but also to deal damage. The weapon was …
Fortnite
Fortnite copying Among Us with new The Spy Within LTM
Steven Rondina
Epic Games has faced legal action for Fortnite being derivative of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds in the past, but that isn’t stopping the company from taking pages out of other popular games’ playbooks. A new Fortnite limited-time game mode has been announced named The Spy Within. The creator-made mode serves as Fortnite’s answer to Among Us, with two spies trying to deceive and assassinate their way to victory while the rest of …
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
xQc shares wholesome moment with a kid while streaming Fortnite
Olivia Richman
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
Fortnite Kratos skin leaked, Master Chief rumored for Season 5
Steven Rondina
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
Fortnite Season 5 update introduces golden bars and the Mandalorian
Fariha Bhatti
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
Fortnite Season 5 leak hints at another new Black Hole event
Olivia Richman
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 …
Everything you need to know about Fortnite pro Bugha
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
After winning the Fortnite World Cup, Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf became a millionaire and a household name. But before Epic’s big $30 million Fortnite tournament, Bugha was playing Fortnite for Sentinels. He was pretty well known in the Fortnite community since he was so talented at the game. Still, nobody would have guessed he would win the tournament. Except perhaps for Bugha himself. Today’s the day — Bugha (@bugha) July 28, …
Was Jarvis banned again after return to Fortnite on Twitch?
gabhernandez
Fortnite
Former Fortnite professional FaZe Jarvis returned to streaming Fortnite only to get banned again. The streamer geared up to play Fortnite on Twitch after a yearlong hiatus from the game, but Epic Games had other plans. The streamer was originally pumped about returning to Fortnite. “It’s been nearly a year since Epic banned me. Tonight @ 6PM PST I’m playing Fortnite for the first time back on Twitch. See you …
Ninja joins shroud in returning to Twitch after Mixer closure
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ time as a streaming free agent has come to an end. The popular Fortnite player announced that he is officially set to return to Twitch. This comes after an extended stretch that saw him without a permanent home after Mixer’s closure. To new beginnings. @ninja pic.twitter.com/UbBSDwezvy — Twitch (@Twitch) September 10, 2020 No details on the deal were revealed. Ninja’s slow return to Twitch likely stems from …
Tfue streams for first time since leaving FaZe Clan
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Turner “Tfue” Tenney has streamed for the first time since splitting from FaZe Clan. The Fortnite star turned variety streamer jumped onto Twitch on Wednesday night for some Call of Duty: Warzone. Though the stream came a short time after a critical victory in Tfue’s career, fans hoping for him to blast FaZe Clan and celebrate wildly were instead met with a low-key but generally positive stream. Despite also being …
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.
