Fortnite
Fortnite
Myth criticizes Epic Games for another disruptive update
William Davis
Team SoloMid’s Ali “Myth” Kabbani recently had some harsh words for the Fortnite community on Twitter. The reaction comes after the most recent Fortnite update that includes the controversial air strike weapon. “The Fortnite community is the saddest fucking lot. Stop thinking things are ever gonna change from us getting a new content update that you might hate every 2 weeks. This is our reality,” Myth said on Twitter. Myth …
Fortnite
Svennoss and The Fortnite Guy embroiled in dramatics, accusations
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Sven “Svennoss” Edelenbosch has called out The Fornite Guy for the misinformation he’s been spreading in his YouTube videos. Competitive Fortnite player Svennoss tweeted out a Reddit comment highlighting many wrongdoings of popular YouTuber Mykal, better known as The Fortnite Guy. The Fortnite Guy’s YouTube channel focuses on covering recent news and controversies in the Fortnite community, and it is through the channel that he has allegedly been intentionally spreading …
Fortnite
Young streamer zyITV raises thousands for father’s cancer treatment
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
A 13-year-old streamer from Canada under the username “zylTV” has turned to Twitch in hopes of raising money for his father’s cancer treatment costs, and viewers responded generously by donating well over the initial goal that was set. zylTV has been playing and streaming Fortnite ten hours a day for five days with a wish to raise $5,000 CDN through charitable donations. Goal donations would all go towards the funding …
Fortnite
Air Strikes are up for debate days before Fortnite World Cup
Olivia Richman
If there’s one thing Epic Games doesn’t shy away from, it’s completely changing Fortnite’s meta right before, and sometimes during, major esports tournaments. An Air Strike weapon was introduced in the game’s most recent update. Players can clear out areas with a simple toss, since Air Strike does 75 damage per hit to players and a whopping 200 damage to structures. With each Air Strike sending 20 bombs to the chosen …
Air Strikes will change Fortnite meta weeks before World Cup
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Fortnite added a big new feature and pro players won’t have much opportunity to adjust to it. The third update to version 9.30 has arrived and though the list of changes is short, it includes the devastating new Air Strike weapon. The addition of a new weapon may not be surprising, but the fact it comes just two weeks ahead of the Fortnite World Cup raises an eyebrow. The Air …
Mongraal joins FaZe Clan as Fortnite team beefs up in wake of Tfue
William Davis
Fortnite
FaZe Clan has added to its already stacked Fortnite roster by signing Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson from Team Secret. Mongraal is known in the competitive Fortnite community for his impressive building skills and his strong competitive drive. He has already qualified for the Fortnite World Cup in both the solo and duo competitions. Mongraal is currently teamed up with Martin “MrSavageM” Foss Anderson and Benjy “Benjyfishy” Fish for the trios section …
Fortnite streamer pleads guilty to hitting wife on Twitch live stream
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
After attacking his wife while streaming Fortnite last year, Luke “MrDeadMoth” Munday has pleaded guilty to common assault. Pregnant with their third child at the time, MrDeadMoth’s wife had been attempting to get his attention while he was streaming on Twitch. After becoming angry during the subsequent argument, MrDeadMoth got up and hit his partner off camera. But the stream was still on, and his viewers heard her cries of …
Bloodx splits with sponsor after accusations of racist language
William Davis
Fortnite
A racism scandal has hit the Fortnite esports scene Competitive Fortnite player Erik “Bloodx” Guttormsen has left Eleven Gaming after he was accused of using racial slurs by Issa “Issa” Rahim of Ghost Gaming. Bloodx announced the news on Twitter. “I am sorry to my fans, friends, family and Eleven Gaming for the events that have transpired over the last 3 days,” Bloodx said. “This is simply too much for …
Fortnite and Stranger Things event brings Upside Down portals to map
gabhernandez
Fortnite
A surprise collaboration between Stranger Things and Fortnite has manifested in the form of Upside Down portals. Netflix released the third season of its hit show on July 4. In an effort to promote it, Netflix partnered with Epic Games to add hellish, glowing portals in the game’s Mega Mall destination. In addition to the in-game changes, skins modeled after Chief Hopper and the Demogorgon have been made available in …
Cloud9 recruits new Fortnite roster ahead of Fortnite World Cup
Syed Mujtaba Naqvi
Fortnite
Cloud9 is returning to competitive Fortnite with a brand new roster. Joining Cloud9’s Fortnite team are three top tier Brazilian players and one of the most wanted free agents from the United States. The new team consists of Igor “drakoNz” Fernandes, Patrick “BlackoutZ” Babinski, Nicollas “Nicks” Polonio de Oliveira, and Skylar “snow” Baibinski. Snow, the only player from the US, qualified for the 2019 Fornite World Cup Finals in the …
Tfue gets rare Quadcrasher kill by crashing on top of opponent
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
“Yeehaw!” Turner “Tfue” Tenney exclaimed as he flew through the air in a Fortnite Quadcrasher. The competitive Fortnite player started out his latest stream innocently enough. He built a ramp to race his Quadcrasher up, looking to soar high above the map. But his goals changed when he saw an opponent minding their own business obliviously down below. Tfue decided it was time to aim his rocketing Quadcrasher at the …
Latest Fortnite update includes Drum Shotgun and July 4th heroes
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Another update is now live on Fortnite. Epic has released the latest patch notes for Fortnite as the 14 Days of Summer event continues. Now live for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, the small update includes a brand new weapon for the game’s Battle Royale mode. The Drum Shotgun is a new addition to Fortnite this week. It comes in common, uncommon, and rare varieties, and …
FaZe Clan posts PR manager job listing after multiple disasters
William Davis
Fortnite
Fans come down on both sides of the ongoing legal battle between Turner “Tfue” Tenney and FaZe Clan but few would say that FaZe has handled the situation well. The organization is looking to fix that by hiring a new Public Relations Manager. The listing appeared on a number of esports job boards, drawing widespread snark across social media. “FaZe Clan…is searching for a dynamic and experienced publicist who is …
Mongraal and Mitr0 get a $20,000 victory royale at Friday Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
The Friday Night Fortnite series wrapped up in entertaining fashion. Fortnite pros Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson and Dmitri “Mitr0” Van de Vrie took first place in final tournament of the series, banking $20,000 for their efforts. They sealed the deal by last defeating French duo Corentin “Gotaga” Houssein and Karim “Airwaks” Benghalia. “Friday Fortnite win with Mongraal. Looks like we were both fucking cracked today, it’s crazy,” Mitr0 tweeted. Going into the …
Liquid POACH retires from competitive Fortnite, focuses on content
William Davis
Fortnite
One of competitive Fortnite’s brightest stars has announced his retirement. Jake “POACH” Brumleve of Team Liquid fame announced that he would be moving on from competing in Fortnite through his Twitch channel. POACH will still create Fortnite content, and the battle royale title is sure to continue to be the majority focus of his streams. However, he’ll now mix in some other games in addition to Fortnite. POACH also echoed …
TSM Myth announces unexpected Fortnite partners for Trio Tournament
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite players have been anxiously awaiting the upcoming Trios Tournament on July 13 but now fans have even more reason to look forward to the event. Team SoloMid’s Ali “Myth” Kabbani will be entering the tournament along with two big-name streamers who may come as a shock to the Fortnite community. His squad will include former Overwatch pro player Felix “xQc” Lengyel and IRL streamer Dimitri “Greekgodx” Antonatos. xQc may …
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.
Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite
