Fortnite
Fortnite
FaZe Banks opens up about Jarvis’ future with FaZe Clan
Olivia Richman
Ever since Frazier “FaZe Jarvis” Kaye was permanently banned from Fortnite for using an aimbot hack, FaZe Clan owner Ricky Banks has been quite vocal about Epic’s decision. Now, Banks is opening up about Jarvis’ future with the organization and within the battle royale game he was forced to leave. Speaking to TMZ, Banks stated that the chances of Jarvis playing Fortnite is “zero.” Still, there’s “potential” in Jarvis creating …
Fortnite
Fortnite streamer Daequan reveals 2020 plans, opens up on hardship
Olivia Richman
For a while, it was starting to look like Fortnite pro Daequan “Daequan” Loco was leaving the streaming scene. His once daily YouTube uploads had ceased and it was hard to catch one of his sporatic live streams. This weekend, Daequan revealed that he’d be coming back with more content in 2020. “I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things as 2019 winds down. I will be in 100% …
Fortnite
Benjyfishy exposes DreamHack Winter cheaters, leads to DQ
Olivia Richman
Fortnite pro Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish caught two competitors cheating at DreamHack Winter. While watching VODs of the $250,000 tournament, Benjyfishy came across two players he found to be acting rather sketchy. Shadoxxx and Stele98 appeared to be working together in the Solo tournament, which would be considered collusion. Benjyfishy decided to expose the alleged cheaters on Twitter, showing a clip of them both working together to eliminate Luminosity Gaming’s Dino …
Fortnite
Fortnite exploit lets players carry six items in their inventory
Olivia Richman
Fortnite is full of bugs and glitches, but some are more game-breaking than others. It was recently discovered that one exploit in the battle royale’s second chapter allows players to carry six items in their inventory. Fortnite only allows five item slots. This exploit was made possible thanks to the latest vehicle addition to the game, the motor boat. As with almost all bugs of this nature, this requires a …
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
Fortnite v 11.11 update delayed as fans demand patch notes
Olivia Richman
Epic Games has announced that Fortnite’s v 11.11 update will be delayed. Last night, Epic told fans that a patch could be expected this morning. It would include new content for Save the World and would also address some issues in various game modes. But Epic soon posted a second tweet that informed Fortnite players that v 11.11 will actually be postponed. The short message noted that they’d tell fans …
Fortnite
Dr Disrespect calls out Epic Games for Jarvis permanent ban
Olivia Richman
Streaming personality Dr Disrespect has come forward in support of FaZe Clan’s Frazier “Jarvis” Kaye after the teenager was permanently banned from Fortnite for using aimbots in a YouTube video. In a recent stream, one viewer asked Dr Disrespect what his opinion of the whole situation was, and The Two-Time didn’t hold back. The streamer admitted that he had written off the ban at first when he read that Jarvis …
Epic Games explains why FaZe Jarvis deserves Fortnite ban
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Developer Epic Games has finally issued a statement on their decision to permanently ban Frazier “Jarvis” Kaye after the 17-year-old streamer posted a video using an aimbot cheating software while playing Fortnite. FaZe Clan’s Jarvis had posted an emotional apology earlier this week, begging Epic Games to forgive him for his “big mistake.” But apparently being “truly sorry” was not enough for Epic, who are standing by the harsh punishment. “We …
Ninja disagrees with FaZe Jarvis’ permanent ban from Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
CouRage is leaving Twitch to stream exclusively on YouTube
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
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 …
FaZe Jarvis permanently banned from Fortnite for using aimbot
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
The history of Ninja, from Halo to streaming on Twitch and Mixer
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
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.
