Fortnite
Fortnite
Ninja weighs in on XXiF cheating in Fortnite World Cup Qualifier
Olivia Richman
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 …
Fortnite
Epic Games adds new item to Fortnite before World Cup qualifiers
Steven Rondina
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 …
Fortnite
Epic Games buys out Rocket League creator, will pull game off Steam
Steven Rondina
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
Fortnite pro Animal claims building bug cost him a spot in World Cup
Olivia Richman
“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 …
News
Epic responds to angry Fortnite pros, tells them nothing is changing
Steven Rondina
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
Fortnite patch adds new Avengers Endgame game mode and more
Olivia Richman
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
Fortnite team subjected to 100-hour work weeks, “culture of fear”
Steven Rondina
Labor practices in the video game industry have been heavily scrutinized in recent months, and the latest company to come under a magnifying glass is Epic Games. The publisher behind the wildly popular Fortnite has done excellent work keeping the battle royale fresh since its launch in 2017. According to a report at Polygon, that comes at the expense of its development team, who feel pressured into working for unhealthy lengths …
Fortnite
Fortnite volcano may finally erupt, but nobody knows when
Olivia Richman
Fortnite’s volcano might finally be ready to erupt. Players recently noticed that the volcano on the battle royale’s northeast island has started smoking. This is the second time the volcano has shown such signs of activity. And this time it seemed to have started after the first rune made its way to Loot Lake and plugged into the metal hatch. This was a rune that first appeared over a plate …
Avengers: Endgame to receive Fortnite crossover treatment
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
The Fortnite event to celebrate the upcoming Avengers: Endgame film might be bigger than anyone was expecting. Weeks after data miners unearthed files that hinted something related to the movie was coming, Fortnite teased that its latest Avengers crossover event wouldn’t just revolve around the film’s antagonist. Epic Games released an image on the official Fortnite Twitter of one of the game’s characters holding Captain America’s iconic shield. The tweet …
Top streamers having trouble qualifying for Fortnite World Cup
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins may have over 14 million followers on Twitch, but he has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time this week, along with many other big names in the Fortnite streaming community. In this weekend’s Fortnite World Cup Duos Open Qualifier, Turner “Tfue” Tenney and Dennis “Cloak” Lepore finished in 84th place on the North America East servers. Out of all the …
Fortnite pro Dubs fn accused of cheating, more allegations promised
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Pro Fortnite player Dubs fn was ranked second in the North America East qualifiers when he was accused of cheating. Fortnite cheat provider AspectDolphin revealed a Discord conversation with a user who called themselves RDubs saying “this cheat is lethal, everything looks legit.” This message was sent a month before the World Cup Qualifiers. The cheat provider can be seen asking RDubs to “keep it on the low” while using …
Fortnite Patch 8.40 introduces new limited time game modes
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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’s Season 8 Discover Challenge continues with more loot
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 …
Tfue not interested in playing Fortnite competitively anymore
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
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 data mining hints at return of Thanos for Avengers: Endgame
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
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 …
Hacker breaks into Fortnite Twitter in response to game changes
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
“Revert the changes.” One Fortnite fan was apparently bothered enough by the game’s recent changes to hack the game’s official Twitter account and post this simple tweet. The cryptic hack took place shortly after Epic Games released a controversial change just days before the Fortnite World Cup. Participants are no longer able to use stretched resolutions in Arena Mode or in tournaments. The hacker is not alone in this sentiment. …
A real-life battle royale event might just be in the works
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
Do you stay up late at night, wishing that games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite were real? Probably not, given the incredibly high likelihood of coming to harm. But somebody out there does and is trying to make that dream a reality. Gaming site Destructoid discovered a listing on luxury retailer Hushhush.com for a project manager for a “100-person battle royale inspired event.” The project aims to take the most …
14-year-old Fortnite streamer already makes $200,000 a year
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
14-year-old Griffin “Sceptic” Spikoski makes $200,000 a year streaming Fortnite on YouTube and Twitch. While the Long Island native started off playing Fortnite just for fun, he skyrocketed to almost instant fame when he received over 7.5 million views on a YouTube video of him beating pro battle royale player Turner “Tfue” Tenney. The high schooler currently has over 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, 1.8 million Twitch views, and even a …
Fortnite patch 8.30 adds Reboot Vans, starts build to World Cup
Steven Rondina
Fortnite
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 …
Hats, taunts, and new customization likely coming to Fortnite
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
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 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.
