Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite Patch 8.40 introduces new limited time game modes
Olivia Richman
Say goodbye to rickety pirate ships and say hello to high flying fighter planes in Fortnite’s most recent update. Epic has released the 8.40 patch notes for Fortnite, introducing two new limited time modes, new weapon updates, and the ability to pet all the pets. Air Royale is a duos-only mode that allows players to climb aboard a plane and take to the skies. Pairs fight to be the last …
Fortnite
Fortnite’s Season 8 Discover Challenge continues with more loot
Olivia Richman
Players can level up their Battle Pass and unlock more rewards with Fortnite’s Week 7 challenges. Now live on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile, Fortnite’s most recent challenges are quite simple for this week. The free section, available to all players, must complete three challenges: Dealing damage with a pickaxe, visiting two locations in a single match, and checking out three Pirate Camps. For Fortnite gamers who …
Fortnite
Tfue not interested in playing Fortnite competitively anymore
Olivia Richman
The Fortnite World Cup will most likely be the last time Turner “Tfue” Tenney participates in a competitive tournament. In a recent stream, the FaZe Clan pro Fortnite player said he would rather focus on streaming. “I shouldn’t even be playing this shit. I don’t care. I don’t need the money anyway. I’m just playing it for fun,” Tfue said on a recent livestream. Tfue appeared conflicted on the stream. …
Fortnite
Fortnite data mining hints at return of Thanos for Avengers: Endgame
Steven Rondina
Judging from a recent leak, the mad titan Thanos might be returning to Fortnite in the near future. During a recent data mine of Fortnite, Skin-Tracker.com sifted through the modified list of kill feed messages. Most of these were standard fare, with specific lines for each weapon. However, there were several new ones that dropped hints about upcoming changes to the game, specifically one which lists a player’s death as …
Fortnite
Fortnite patch 8.30 adds Reboot Vans, starts build to World Cup
Steven Rondina
Weeks after first being unearthed in the game’s files, Reboot Vans have finally arrived in Fortnite. The 8.30 patch has dropped in the game, delivering the awaited addition. Reboot Vans give players the ability to revive teammates in duos and squad play, a big boon to those who actively party up. In duos and squads, when a player dies they now drop a Reboot Card which can be picked up …
Fortnite
Hats, taunts, and new customization likely coming to Fortnite
Fariha Bhatti
Recent leaks have suggested that customisable cosmetics will soon be coming to Fortnite. A datamined list of items was discovered that listed such new finds as hats and a calling card item. The information was discovered by Twitter user Hypex, as a recent Fortnite update included data on a number of items that aren’t currently featured in-game. Keywords such as “headgear,” “taunt,” and “personalised battle bus” were among the data …
Fortnite
Fortnite’s $500,000 World Cup Warm Up Cup continues
Olivia Richman
Fortnite’s $500,000 World Cup Warm Up Cup continues today. The top 1,500 from yesterday’s three-hour match will now advance to a three-hour period of matches later today. Similar to the Blackheart and Luxe Cups, the scoring system will reward three points for every Victory Royale. Eliminations are worth one point each. The two-day mini-tournament includes a $500,000 prize divided between hundreds of winners. In the Northeast region, first place awards …
Fortnite
Epic irks Fortnite pros with late rule change for World Cup
Steven Rondina
Pro players are mad at Epic Games for its handling of Fortnite’s esports events once again. Just 10 days out from the start of qualifiers for the Fortnite World Cup, the game’s publisher has issued a new ruling on screen resolutions. In competitive play, players will be required to use a 16:9 resolution. The move comes despite the growing popularity of 4:3 resolutions amongst competitors. “In the near future, we …
Plagiarism claims by artist against Fortnite come under scrutiny
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
A 14 year old artist has recently accused Fortnite developer and publisher Epic Games of stealing their artwork for a skin. Despite outrage across the internet on the artist’s behalf, it has been uncovered that the accusations are likely false. The original accusation against Epic Games were first made on March 31. Artist Ruby Ramearez, known as Elecast across social media, made a statement on Facebook claiming that her design …
Fortnite takes BAFTA award at annual game award ceremony
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite has won the title of Best Evolving Game at the BAFTA 2019 Games Awards. The British award ceremony took place in London and presented a variety of different awards across varied gaming and film categories. Fortnite won the title after being nominated along with five other games, each with a heavy online component and continual updates that keep fans playing long after the initial release dates. The other five …
Prince Harry says Fortnite is addicting, should not be allowed
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Lots of celebrities are big fans of Fortnite, but Prince Harry is not among that lot. Speaking at a YMCA event in London, the British royal railed against social media and video games. Discussing Fortnite in particular, he stated the game was causing strain on families and labeled it addicting. “That game shouldn’t be allowed. Where is the benefit of having it in your household,” the prince asked, per BBC. …
SK Telecom T1 looks to expand its dynasty to battle royales
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
SKT Telecom T1 is looking to extend its reach and visibility westward. Though the brand is one of the most successful in esports history with a Starcraft team led by the legendary Lim “BoxeR” Yo Hwan and a League of Legends dynasty built by Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, SKT has never left those comfort zones. That has made the organization a household name in its native South Korea and appointment viewing …
Free Carbon Bundle available exclusively to PS4 Fortnite players
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite developer Epic Games has released a free Fortnite skin for players to claim, but it’s available exclusively to PlayStation Plus members. The Carbon Bundle pack can be claimed from the PlayStation store by any players with a paid subscription to Sony’s PlayStation 4 online service. The Carbon Bundle includes two items, though unlike the starter bundles available for purchase it does not include any of Fortnite’s V-Bucks currency. PlayStation …
Fortnite Duos Luxe Cup info and $100,000 prize pool revealed
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Epic Games has announced all of the details for its Fortnite Duos Luxe Cup. Just after last weekend’s Blackheart Cup, Fortnite is hosting another online cup with $100,000 in prize money on the line. While many details are similar to past online tournaments, this is the first competition to use Fortnite’s new Arena Mode that was introduced in Patch 8.20. Similar to ranked play in most competitive titles, the Fortnite ranking …
Drake invests in esports startup despite previous Twitch drama
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
It appears that Drake’s negative interactions with Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins haven’t turned the rapper off from the growing esports industry. Drake recently announced that he has invested in Player’s Lounge, an esports startup that will allow players to make wagers on matches against their opponents. He is but one of the company’s recent Silicon Valley investors, which also include Comcast, Macro Ventures, and Marissa Mayer. The startup closed …
Ninja will soon have his face on Red Bull Energy Drink cans
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Famous Fortnite personality Tyler “Ninja” Blevins can now add Red Bull Energy Drink cans to the list of products his face is plastered on. Red Bull announced that Ninja will appear on a limited edition can, available nationwide from April 1 to April 4 in four-packs and 12-packs. This comes soon after Wicked Cool Toys revealed a Ninja toy line, complete with plushes, wigs, and collectible figures. There are also …
Ranked matchmaking, new healing items added in latest Fortnite update
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
The latest Fortnite update has dropped, bringing with it a series of long-awaited additions to the game. The 8.20 patch has officially launched, introducing ranked matchmaking alongside new items and some surprising balance tweaks. The centerpiece for the 8.20 update is the new Arena Mode, which serves as a competitive version of Fortnite Battle Royale. The game itself is no different from a standard Battle Royale game, but gives players …
Pro Fortnite players frustrated over World Cup qualifiers
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
The build to the Fortnite World Cup has just begun and pro players are already angry over it. Epic Games announced that it will use a series of online qualifiers to determine participants in the $30 million World Cup tournament. The process has many pro players criticizing the format. The qualification process is a lengthy one, but has the potential to be quite lucrative for players. The first step takes …
Valve calls out Epic Games for ripping information from users, Steam
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
The Epic Games storefront client has recently been revealed to be using client data taken from rival digital storefront Steam.The data file pulled from Steam is then sent to Epic Games, much to the displeasure of Steam developer Valve, who have clearly stated the files are not to be used by third-party companies. The discovery gained attention when a detailed post accused Epic Games of accessing DLL files, which are …
FaZe Clan announces signing of 13-year-old Fortnite pro
William Davis
Fortnite
FaZe Clan have made a bold acquisition to the esports organization’s Fortnite roster in new player “H1ghSky1.” That the move is bold isn’t a comment on H1ghSky’s skills. His age is the reason, as H1ghSky1 only 13 years old. According to FaZe’s announcement of the signing, he’s the youngest member to ever be signed to the massive competitive gaming team. The announcement was slightly spoiled by Ali “Myth” Kabbani 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.
