Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite voted Esports Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards
Olivia Richman
Fortnite was named Esports Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards today. Hosted at the Bloomsbury Big Top in London, the Golden Joystick chooses its winners by popular vote. Millions of people participated in the online voting over the last 12 months, making their picks from Best Storytelling and Best Multiplayer Game to Best Esports Game and Best New Streamer. The nominees for Esports Game of the Year …
Fortnite
Stormtrooper skin hints at more Star Wars in future of Fortnite
Olivia Richman
A Stormtrooper skin has arrived in the Fortnite item shop. Epic Games announced the Star Wars-themed skin, which is avilable only for a limited time, on Twitter. The official account declared that the “Imperial army has arrived,” and that an “Imperial Stormtrooper is scouting the Island.” The tweet came with a comical video of some classic Fortnite characters coming face to face with the very serious Stormtroopers, who seemed quite …
Fortnite
FaZe Clan’s Ewok is latest popular streamer moving to Mixer
Olivia Richman
More big name streamers are leaving Twitch. FaZe Clan’s Ewok has announced on Twitter that she’s moving to Microsoft’s streaming platform, Mixer. Known for her insane Fortnite skills, Ewok has found success as a streamer and gamer despite being deaf. In fact, it hasn’t seemed to slow this 14-year-old down at all. Her talent has caught the attention of famous streamers in the past, including Dr Lupo and Tyler “Ninja” …
Fortnite
FaZe Banks talks about destroying hotel room for $30K in damages
Olivia Richman
FaZe Clan owner Ricky Banks and his friends left their suite in chaos, reportedly causing over $30,000 in damages. TMZ uploaded the shocking footage on October 31, revealing broken furniture, damaged walls, and turned over plants in their expensive hotel room at the Encore At Wynn Las Vegas. It was an incident that could have resulted in Banks spending up to five years in prison. Banks opened up about the …
Fortnite
Ninja disagrees with FaZe Jarvis’ permanent ban from Fortnite
Olivia Richman
The streaming community has been quite vocal about Frazier “Jarvis” Kaye’s permaban from Fortnite. This includes Mixer trailblazer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who said the FaZe Clan content creator’s punishment was too harsh. “He’s still super young, so I think he’s just a stupid kid making a stupid decision, and didn’t really think about it,” Ninja said. He added that, since the cheating wasn’t in a competitive mode or during a Cash …
Fortnite
CouRage is leaving Twitch to stream exclusively on YouTube
Steven Rondina
It isn’t just Mixer that is looking to snatch away Twitch’s biggest stars. 100 Thieves content creator Jack “CouRage” Dunlop has announced that he is leaving Twitch behind to exclusively stream on YouTube. The announcement was made on his YouTube channel in a video featuring other 100 Thieves personalities. This continues what has been a rough year for Twitch, as the streaming giant has been marred by repeated controversies and the departures …
Fortnite
FaZe Jarvis permanently banned from Fortnite for using aimbot
Olivia Richman
FaZe Clan’s Frazier “Jarvis” Kaye has been permanently banned from Fortnite. Earlier today, Jarvis published a video on Facebook to explain that he received a lifetime ban from Fortnite for using an aimbot. The video already has over 1.9 million views. “Recently, I posted videos of me using aimbot in solos and playground mode. All I was thinking was how entertaining and interesting they’d be for you guys to watch. It …
Fortnite
The history of Ninja, from Halo to streaming on Twitch and Mixer
Olivia Richman
Fortnite stremaing superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has continued to fascinate fans and critics alike with his continued success in the gaming industry. He’s become an inspiration for gamers and streamers everywhere, and has often paved the way for many others in the industry. As his name began to grow, Ninja also faced a lot of controversy and backlash. He’s been criticized for not wanting to stream with women, mocked for his …
How to beat Fortnite Storm King in Chapter 2’s Fortnitemares
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
This Halloween, Fortnite has a very unique event that’s unlike any they’ve had in the past. The Limited Time Mode is called Fortnite Storm King, and it sees16 players teaming up to battle a giant boss. Along with the spooky monster, gamers also have to deal with his hordes of henchmen, all within a small arena setting. Players who defeat the Storm King will also be able to complete three …
These are the leaked Fortnite Chapter 2 Alter Ego challenges
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite Chapter 2 brought a new map, a new weapons list, and even new skins. Now, Fortnite’s Alter Ego challenges allow players to unlock these new skins. Data miners have uncovered the full list of tasks within Alter Ego, all of which can be completed throughout the current season. Exclusive to Battle Pass owners, Alter Ego missions unlock different skin styles and help players to gain more XP. There are …
Epic suing playtester who leaked Chapter 2 secrets, new map
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
When Fortnite was swallowed by a black hole and seemingly wiped off the internet, fans of the game were scared at first. But worries that the battle royale was closing down after the wildly unpopular Season X were alleviated when a leak informed players that “Chapter 2” was coming. Now, the person responsible for the Chapter 2 leak is being sued by Epic Games. A user experience tester, Ronald Skyes, …
Fortnite YouTuber made $26,000 off FaZe Sway’s creator code
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite YouTuber Sway has reportedly made over $26,000 from Epic Games’ creator code program because of his name’s similarity to FaZe Clan’s Sway. A YouTuber by the name of Fortnite Guy was the first to reveal the shocking number, noting that when Fortnite star Sway joined FaZe, the similarly named Sway started to earn even more from the creator code program. It has become quite evident that people are confusing …
Fortnite Chapter 2 made shroud want to play Apex Legends again
Olivia Richman
News
Twitch streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek gave up on Fortnite a while ago, but he thought he’d give Chapter 2 a try after all of the hype. And it didn’t go well. Running around in his Fortnite x Mayhem skin, shroud only played for a couple hours before calling it quits. In one clip, shroud is running around Frenzy Farm seemingly not impressed with Fortnite’s newest season. “I’m not going to …
Fortnite Champion Series changes competitive play in Chapter 2
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Chapter 2 Season 1 doesn’t only bring changes to Fortnite’s map. Epic Games also has big changes in store for the competitive side of the game. The developers have announced an update to the Fortnite Champion Series earlier today after a successful handful of online tournaments last season. According to the press release, Arena will be mirroring the Fortnite Champion Series by hosting Squads. Solo Arena is also available. Players must …
Ninja gets in Twitter argument with Twitch streamer Kaceytron
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
An innocent question from pop sensation Lady Gaga turned into some spicy back and forth over Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ decision to not stream with women. As Fortnite became the main topic of discussion online following its disappearance leading up to Chapter 2’s release, Lady Gaga took to Twitter to ask what Fortnite even was. While it’s unclear if she was serious or not, famous Fortnite phenomenon Ninja decided to fill …
Everything new and different about Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
When Fortnite disappeared for over a day, fans would likely have panicked were it not for the fact that Chapter 2 had already been leaked, easing people’s concerns. Now that Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1 is here, players are busy exploring the new map, new mechanics, and all of the other discoveries all over the island. Here’s a closer look at some of the changes to check out, from new …
Fortnite Chapter 2 leaked trailer shows new features, abilities
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Fortnite fans have gotten a brief glimpse of the upcoming release of Fortnite Chapter 2. A 30-second trailer for the next battle pass was leaked, showing some of the new features that will arrive when Fortnite relaunches. The game was recently shut down to mark the ending of the highly controversial Season X. Epic Games has been aggressively taking down reposts of the leaked trailer, but fans of the game …
Fortnite’s The End brings down Twitch before new season reveal
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Fortnite
Fortnite’s event “The End,” which turned the game and its features into a black hole, attracted so many viewers to Twitch that the platform experienced sudden and dramatic downtime. The last event of the Fortnite season X “The End” let players participate in what signalizes the end of Fortnite’s current iteration, taking the game down. Epic Games’ Fortnite server status is showing all of the Fortnite assets, from website to …
Fortnite seemingly shut down by Epic Games to end Season X
Nina Forneloza
Fortnite
Fortnite, the battle royale game that has become a worldwide phenomenon, is gone. At least for a little while. For the past few days, many Fortnite content creators have been sharing their thoughts on what the season 11 kickoff event would be. Though previous season-ending events were built up for weeks to a somewhat predictable conclusion, the only hint fans received on Fortnite Season X’s end was an ominous tweet …
Epic Games CEO promises his company won’t censor activists
Nina Forneloza
Fortnite
Epic Games is taking a stand against censorship from China. Epic Games Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has announced that Fortnite developer Epic Games won’t ban players for political speech. This follows a week during which multiple controversies have arisen in the sporting and gaming spaces related to ongoing protest in Hong Kong. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets NBA franchise, recently tweeted his support for the protests …
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.
