Fortnite
Fortnite
Ninja expresses frustration with YouTube, hopes for new platform
Olivia Richman
It’s not only Twitch that Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins wants to see overthrown by a new platform. In a recent stream, the Mixer streamer expressed that he wanted a new video platform to take on and potentially wipe out YouTube. While playing Fortnite with Tim “TimeTheTatman” Betar, Dennis “Cloakzy” Lepore, and Jack “CouRage” Dunlop, Ninja explained his perspective while remaining sensitive to CouRage, who recently announced he was streaming …
Fortnite
Fortnite is Europe’s most played Nintendo Switch title for 2019
Olivia Richman
When you hear Nintendo Switch, you probably think Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or maybe even The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo released a list of the top 20 Switch games in Europe and, surprisingly, the most played Switch title in Europe in all of 2019 was actually Fortnite. Based on the amount of time played on data-enabled accounts, the free-to-play battle royale beat a lot of exclusive Nintendo titles, including second-place …
Fortnite
Bao Bros skin is finally available in the Fortnite Item Shop
Olivia Richman
Gamers no longer have to chant “Release the Bao Bros” because Epic Games has finally moved forward and released them. “Steamed up and ready for action. The Bao Bros are now available in the Item Shop!” Fortnite tweeted yesterday. It was a short and sweet message that seemed a little underwhelming to a Fortnite community that has been waiting for the Bao Bros skin since it was leaked in May. A …
Fortnite
Ninja deletes controversial tweet before Time In sneaker launch
Olivia Richman
Looks like Fortnite superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins recently made an accidental faux pas. A Twitch streamer known as Connor Eats Pants was playing Animal Crossing a few days ago when he noticed something strange on his Twitter feed. He told his followers that he saw a strange tweet from Ninja, but when he tried to click on the tweet it appeared to have been deleted. “And I was like, ‘Oh, why …
Fortnite
Fortnite star Ninja announces launch date for Time In Adidas shoes
Olivia Richman
Looking for some kicks to match your Ninja headband? You’re in luck. On December 31, Adidas is launching a line of sneakers in collaboration with Fortnite phenomenon Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. The old school design sports Ninja’s signature blue and gold color scheme, although in a far more understated way this time around. Ninja’s logo is on the inside of the left shoe, while the right side shoe says “Time In” …
Fortnite
These are the highest esports earnings in Fortnite in 2019
Olivia Richman
No esport is growing faster than Fortnite. The Fortnite World Cup not only had a $30 million prize pool, but wooed the mainstream media in a way no other game has. The public has become fascinated by the game as older demographics finally start to wake up to the fact that video games aren’t just a fun hobby, but something that takes legitimate skill and can make talented players real money. And …
Fortnite
Twitch streamer arrested for abusing toddler on live broadcast
Olivia Richman
A Twitch streamer was arrested for abusing her toddler on a live broadcast earlier this month. A since deleted tweet of the clip showed TTV_MajesticUnicorn roughly tossing her child around and even biting him in one shocking instance. The clip’s description alleged that she was frustrated with the baby for interrupting her eight-hour Fortnite session. The 31-year-old was charged with one count of assault for the offense. She is scheduled …
Fortnite
How to participate in Fortnite’s new Star Wars premiere event
William Davis
Fornite developer and publisher Epic Games has joined forces with Walt Disney Studios to give Fortnite fans a preview of the upcoming film Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. The Fortnite & Star Wars crossover event began November 14 during which the iconic Stormtrooper costume was added to Fortnite’s in-game store in celebration of the launch of the recent video game Jedi: Fallen Order. It turns out that …
Dr Lupo, timthetatman, LIRIK to announce new deals with Twitch
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
At a time when many big name streamers are leaving Twitch for competing broadcast platforms, one leak has come as a surprise to the gaming community. According to esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau, popular streamers Dr Lupo, timethetatman, and LIRIK will be announcing later today that they are signing multi-year Twitch deals today. Slasher followed up the tweet by claiming the deals are for “millions of dollars per year,” according …
FaZe Banks opens up about Jarvis’ future with FaZe Clan
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 streamer Daequan reveals 2020 plans, opens up on hardship
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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% …
Benjyfishy exposes DreamHack Winter cheaters, leads to DQ
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 exploit lets players carry six items in their inventory
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
Epic Games addresses major glitch in Fortnite Championship Series
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Epic Games has finally offered a solution to an ongoing scoring issue in the Fortnite Championship Series. Big-name pro Fortnite players like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish had their squads fall victim to a major glitch where they were queued into matches with an incomplete team. For the teammate that failed to load into the game, their points were seemingly erased from the event scoreboards. This is a …
Fortnite voted Esports Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
Stormtrooper skin hints at more Star Wars in future of Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
FaZe Clan’s Ewok is latest popular streamer moving to Mixer
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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” …
FaZe Banks talks about destroying hotel room for $30K in damages
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 v 11.11 update delayed as fans demand patch notes
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
Dr Disrespect calls out Epic Games for Jarvis permanent ban
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
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.
