Fortnite
Fortnite
Mongraal joins FaZe Clan as Fortnite team beefs up in wake of Tfue
William Davis
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
Fortnite streamer pleads guilty to hitting wife on Twitch live stream
Olivia Richman
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 …
Fortnite
Bloodx splits with sponsor after accusations of racist language
William Davis
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
Fortnite and Stranger Things event brings Upside Down portals to map
gabhernandez
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 …
Fortnite
FaZe Clan posts PR manager job listing after multiple disasters
William Davis
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 …
Fortnite
Mongraal and Mitr0 get a $20,000 victory royale at Friday Fortnite
Olivia Richman
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 …
Fortnite
Liquid POACH retires from competitive Fortnite, focuses on content
William Davis
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 …
Fortnite
TSM Myth announces unexpected Fortnite partners for Trio Tournament
Olivia Richman
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 …
Fornite 9.30 brings back Pump Shotgun, begins 14 Days of Summer
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Epic released v9.30’s first patch notes this morning and they’ve been a big hit with the Fortnite community. The classic Revolver has been replaced by a new version that is described as “simple, reliable,” and “powerful,” available in Epic and Legendary variants. The new weapon holds six rounds, and does 66 damage per shot. But that wasn’t the only weapon-related news. In fact, Fortnite players were way more interested …
Why the Tfue and FaZe Clan contract dispute has big implications
gabhernandez
Fortnite
Fortnite streamer and content creator Turner “Tfue” Tenney’s recently filed suit against his employing organization FaZe Clan has brought to light a long-standing issue of predatory contracts in esports. Esports attorneys have been talking about this as an issue for a long time now. Bryce Blum, an esports attorney unrelated to the case, took to Twitter to explain his own interpretation of the events described thus far. He points out …
H1ghsky1 releases dreadful diss track at Fortnite esports star Tfue
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
The ongoing litigation between Fortnite star Turner “Tfue” Tenney and FaZe Clan is one of the most important stories in esports, but it’s also kind of dumb. While Tfue and his legal team have taken a by the numbers approach to the situation with carefully handled public statements, members of FaZe have publicly lashed out in ways that are likely hurt the brand’s standing from both public relations and legal …
Luminosity Gaming opens LG Fortnite House, signs four influencers
William Davis
Fortnite
Luminosity Gaming is expanding in a big way. The Canadian organization announced the signing of four Fortnite personalities in Alex “Formula” Kushelevskiy, John “Kiwiz” Payne, Nick “Nicks” Spoerke, and Jordan “Randumb” Schneider. The players will live at the newly christened LG Fortnite House in Florida, which will both house Luminosity’s talent and serve as a content creation hub for the organization. “We are on a mission to collaborate with players, …
Ninja signs publishing deal, to release three books this year
William Davis
Fortnite
Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins will be releasing three books in 2019. Ninja is taking on a new challenge this year. The popular streamer is expanding his brand with a new book publishing deal. Ninja, through his representatives at management firm Loaded, signed a deal with two Random House imprints. He will release two books with Clarkson Potter and one graphic novel with Ten Speed Press. “Ninja: Get Good” and …
FILA sponsors Counter Logic Gaming ahead of Fortnite World Cup
William Davis
Fortnite
Counter Logic Gaming has announced FILA as the apparel partner for its Fortnite squad. CLG’s Fortnite team will show up at the 2019 Fortnite World Cup with a new look. Starting in July, the players will wear apparel provided exclusively by FILA. This is the first time FILA has closed a partnership deal with an esports organization. As the industry evolves, more brands are looking to get involved and capitalize …
Airwaks and RL Grime victorious in celebrity Fortnite Pro-Am
William Davis
Fortnite
Solary player Karim “Airwaks” Benghalia and DJ RL Grime are the winners of the Fortnite Pro-Am 2019. The Summer Block Party closed on June 16 with the 2019 Celebrity Pro-Am, where Airwaks and RL Grime took the victory and the golden pickaxe. The Forum was the destination for 50 duos made up of celebrities and pro gamers who put their Fortnite skills to the test. With a $3 million prize …
Data miners uncover Stranger Things cosmetics coming to Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
First there was The Avengers. Then there was John Wick. And now, Fortnite is collaborating with Stranger Things for new skins and promotional items relating to the original Netflix series. Since an ice cream parlor from the show turned up in Mega Mall at the beginning of Season 9, the crossover has been repeatedly been teased within the game. Once fans started speculating, Netflix confirmed that it was going to be …
Fornite V-Buck spending spree sees kids purchase 65,000 points
Nina Forneloza
Fortnite
The family of one Reddit user’s generosity cost him dearly when his young niece and nephew managed to purchase 65,000 V-Bucks, the in-game currency of Fortnite, before he’d realized what happened. The poster on Reddit says that he gave access to his PlayStation Network account to his niece and nephew so that they would have access to a wider selection of games. The two children managed to spend over $500, …
Fortnite 9.30 update introduces Chug Splash, sends weapons to vault
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite’s 9.30 update went live this morning on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintndo Switch, iOS, and Android. The most recent update has introduced a brand new item, the Chug Splash. Epic Games confirmed the “refreshing new beverage” before the update was launched, describing the drink as a six-pack of Chug that “keeps your squad in the game.” Upon impact, the Chug splashes liquid in a small area. All players within …
Deaf streamer Ewok makes big apperance at Fortnite Pro-Am event
gabhernandez
Fortnite
Deaf streamer Soliel “Ewok” Wheeler has boomed in popularity at just 13 years of age after prominent streamer Timothy “TimTheTatman” John Betar hosted her and sent her thousands of new viewers. TimTheTatman first hosted Ewok a few short months ago, when she was a small streamer who primarily played Fortnite on her channel. Since then, she’s ballooned to over 130,000 followers and is quickly becoming a well-known name in and …
Tfue lawyer fires back at FaZe Clan claims on money and negotiations
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Turner “Tfue” Tenney’s legal team is pushing back against some of FaZe Clan’s key talking points regarding the Fortnite player’s contract status. Tfue’s attorney Bryan J. Freedman sat down for a lengthy interview with The Score Esports. Among the topics of conversation were direct rebuttals to claims from FaZe Clan that he had refused to negotiate on a new contract and wasn’t an important financial part of FaZe. “First of …
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.
