Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite Ballers are back in Arena and players are not happy
Olivia Richman
Vehicles are back in Arena just in time for the Fortnite World Cup Qualifiers this weekend, and many players are not happy. “Hey y’all. We have fixed the issue with players getting stuck inside vehicles in the latest update,” Fortnite announced on Reddit. Vehicles, like the controversial Baller, were first removed from the battle royale’s competitive modes thanks to some game-breaking bugs. Competitors who entered the vehicles would find themselves …
Fortnite
Friday Fornite returns with Keemstar through backing of FaZe Clan
Fariha Bhatti
Daniel “Keemstar” Keem has announced that his popular Friday Fortnite tournament will return next week thanks to funding from FaZe Clan. Keemstar revealed that there will be at least three new weeks of Friday Fortnite, with the first tournament taking place on May 31. The other two are expected to follow on June 7 and 14, although this has yet to be confirmed. Keemstar himself will be broadcasting the competitions. …
Fortnite
Tfue uses #ReleaseTheContract to goad FaZe Clan to show contract
Steven Rondina
After a tumultuous two days, Turner “Tfue” Tenney made an impassioned plea to FaZe Clan. The Fortnite esports star and popular streamer released a short video on his YouTube channel asking FaZe to make his contract public. He also repackaged his arguments against FaZe, and split from some of the claims made in the court filings. The video starts with Tfue retracting his lawyer’s claims that he had been pressured …
Fortnite
Fortnite teams up with Jordan brand for new Downtown Drop LTM
Olivia Richman
Fortnite’s latest collaboration is a bit different for the insanely popular battle royale. Season 9 brought Fortnite players John Wick-inspired skins, map locations, and challenges. Before that, there was the Avengers: Endgame crossover, complete with a Thanos-themed battle royale with Infinity Stone power-ups. But this time, Fortnite isn’t teaming up with a blockbuster movie or a superhero. This time, Epic’s insanely successful title is teaming up with Jordan, the world’s …
Fortnite
Tfue suing FaZe Clan for exploitative contract and lost sponsors
Steven Rondina
Turner “Tfue” Tenney is taking FaZe Clan to court. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the popular Fortnite player is stating his team has engaged in exploitative, dangerous, and unlawful practices with himself, and a number of his constituents. Among the allegations are loss of sponsorship opportunities and failure to pay his share of earnings. “That Gamer Agreement is grossly oppressive, onerous, and one-sided,” writes attorney Bryan Freedman of Freedman and …
Fortnite
More pro Fortnite players caught cheating during World Cup qualifier
Steven Rondina
Another collusion controversy has arisen ahead of the Fortnite World Cup. A thread appeared on Reddit with a video showing players in the Asia regional qualifiers seemingly working together during solos. This is the second such instance of such collusion in the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers in the last month alone. Despite playing in solo mode, a player using the handle SV_Gtea survives a firefight and inexplicably drops half of …
Fortnite
Baller and Drum Gun nerfed, new assault rifle added in Fortnite patch
Steven Rondina
The first major update of Fortnite Season 9 is here, and there is a lot to talk about. Version 9.01 has arrived and brings a number of intriguing changes to the game’s battle royale mode. Some nerfs called for by pro players have arrived alongside a new weapon. The biggest change is the introduction of the Tactical Assault Rifle. The weapon is available in rare, legendary, and epic varieties with …
Fortnite
Ninja refuses to eat on stream during Ramadan to support Muslim fans
Olivia Richman
When streamers are not playing games, they’re often snacking on camera. It’s one way to stay awake and remain fueled for streaming marathons, which can last longer than eight hours. But Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has vowed to switch off his camera while he eats during Ramadan, which lasts until June 6 this year. The professional streamer and Fortnite personality was munching on snacks throughout a recent stream when one Twitch …
Data miners uncover possible John Wick challenges coming in Season 9
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is coming out next week. Naturally, that means there was a John Wick-themed Fortnite leak. Epic Games just released Season 9 in Fortnite, and data miners are already hard at work. Notorious leakers FortTory and Lucas7Yoshi took to Twitter to inform Fortnite players of a possible upcoming John Wick-themed challenge and cosmetic set. Called “Wick’s Bounty,” FortTory shared the names of all the John Wick …
Fortnite Season 9 will introduce slipstreams and new Neo Tilted area
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Season 8 saw many players’ favorite spot on the map, Tilted Towers, get completely decimated by a volcanic eruption. Season 9 is all about moving forward and looking into the future. Fortnite’s Season 9 patch boasts new gameplay, new locations, and new challenges. After hinting for multiple seasons that Tilted Towers was going to be destroyed, Epic finally did it. In its place is Neo Tilted, a high-tech, futuristic …
Fortnite volcano erupts destructively, wipes out Tilted Towers
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite’s volcano has finally erupted, and the massive in-game event wreaked havoc on the game’s ever-changing map. Right after players exited the vault at Loot Lake’s center, the eruption began. The whole map was immediately covered in darkness as molten rocks started bursting out of the volcano. Polar Peak mountain was the first to be affected by the explosion, a giant crack appearing after the first rock’s impact. Retail Row’s …
Ninja weighs in on XXiF cheating in Fortnite World Cup Qualifier
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
The Fortnite World Cup’s immense prize pool has already caused a lot of competitors to give in to their greed. Fortnite pro Damion “XXiF” Cook was recently accused of colluding with his friends during a World Cup open qualifer match. He took second place, earning $4,000 in prize money and, more importantly, a spot in the finals. XXiF has denied any illegal activity, but it seems like the Fortnite community …
Epic Games adds new item to Fortnite before World Cup qualifiers
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Anyone that was still hoping that Epic Games would hold back on game updates over the next few weeks has been left disappointed. Just two days ahead of the next set of Fortnite World Cup qualifiers, the version 8.51 update has dropped. Though it is a relatively small one, the patch introduces a new item that pros will need to familiarize themselves with in the next 48 hours. Version 8.51 …
Epic Games buys out Rocket League creator, will pull game off Steam
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Epic Games been making aggressive moves for a while now, and it just kicked things up another notch. The publisher has announced the acquisition of San Diego-based game development studio Psyonix Incorporated. Best known as the team behind Rocket League, the Psyonix purchase marks one of the biggest coups pulled off by Epic at a time where it is rapidly expanding across the entire video game industry. No financial information …
Fortnite pro Animal claims building bug cost him a spot in World Cup
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
“Oh my god, this game is so bad. Epic, fix your shit, please, bro, please! Why are there so many bugs? Why? Why can’t you fix things?” That was the outburst of competitive Fortnite player YourFellowArab, following a live stream in which a bug seemd to cost him a qualifying match for the World Cup Solo Finals. The clip shows him landing near a competitor, where he is then unable to turbo …
Fortnite players win tournament moments before quitting Fortnite
William Davis
Fortnite
Despite massive prize pools and international fame, professional Fortnite players aren’t exactly happy with the decisions of developer Epic Games. Those questionable decisions seem to have fed up two University of Georgia students who won the Fortnite Collegiate Starleague finals, and then used their new fame to immediately call out Epic for questionable updates before announcing that they were quitting the game. The duo, Jack Stuttard and Ibrahim Diaz, were …
Guardians of the Galaxy skins leaked by Fortnite data miners
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite fans can’t stop leaking updates. Fortnite data miners recently posted screenshots of their latest discoveries. After searching through the game’s files, the data miners uncovered possible Guardians of the Galaxy skins. In response to the initial research, fellow data miners revealed further screenshots that appeared to prove that the first cosmetic pack would revolve around Star Lord. This leak also includes a possible audio pack as well, titled “Star …
Tfue headlines latest qualified players for Fortnite World Cup
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
It was a great day of Fortnite for FaZe Clan’s most popular player. After struggling in the first two weeks of qualifiers, Turner “Tfue” Tenney locked up a spot in the Fortnite World Cup solo tournament. The popular streamer adds a much needed dose of star power to what was shaking out to be a relatively bland competitive pool. As is the case with competitive Fortnite, consistency is nearly impossible. …
Epic responds to angry Fortnite pros, tells them nothing is changing
Steven Rondina
News
Epic Games wants all the Fortnite pros that have been complaining to know that the company hears them, but it won’t be making changes. In a surprising change of approach, the publisher released a statement discussing some of the recent changes to Fortnite’s competitive scene and why the company decided to pull the trigger on some of the more controversial moves. But while it knows that many of those changes …
Fortnite patch adds new Avengers Endgame game mode and more
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Marvel hero costumes, items, and a new game mode are now available after Fortnite’s most recent update. The Avengers Endgame event features Thanos invading the battle royale island in search of the six Infinity Stones. The opposing hero team will attempt to wipe out the Chitauri forces and ultimately take down Thanos. On the villains’ side, the first Chitauri to recover one of the Infinity Stones hidden throughout the map …
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.
