Fortnite
Fortnite
Fortnite announces Fallout collab
Olivia Richman
Fortnite and Fallout are coming together for an apocalyptic collaboration in Chapter 5 Season 3. Fortnite teased a Fallout x Fortnite collaboration on X, and fans were immediately excited. But what do we really know about the upcoming event? Here’s what we know so far. Epic Games has not shared any specifics about the collaboration just yet. The teaser simply has a thumbs up, which is a reference to the …
Fortnite
My Hero Academia villains are now in Fortnite
Olivia Richman
There are more My Hero Academia characters coming to Fortnite. Here is how to play as Himiko Toga, Tomura Shigaraki, and Dabi in the battle royale. Fortnite is no stranger to anime crossovers, with Naruto, Dragonball Z, and other popular characters competing alongside each other in the colorful shooter. This includes My Hero Academia, which was initially added to the game in December 2022. Since then, Fortnite has continued to …
Fortnite
Where to find Darth Vader in Fortnite
Fariha Bhatti
To celebrate May the 4th, Fortnite has brought Star Wars characters and skins back, but there’s a small twist. Darth Vader is no longer easy to beat and doesn’t spawn at random locations. So, where can you find Darth Vader in Fortnite? The Fortnite x Star Wars crossover runs from May 3 to May 17, 2024. The developers have added new Star Wars skins, including Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and Dagobah Luke …
Fortnite
New Star Wars skins in Fortnite for May the 4th
Olivia Richman
To celebrate May the 4th Be With You, aka Star Wars Day, Fortnite is bringing some Star Wars skins to sci-fi fans everywhere. Fortnite is no stranger to Star Wars skins. There have been cosmetics and events based on the iconic series in the past, including an entire Star Wars battle pass and even Skywalker Week. Then, Epic confirmed that more Star Wars was coming on May 4th with a …
Fortnite
Avatar Elements Pass brings Aang to Fortnite
Olivia Richman
A Fortnite leak has revealed the Avatar Elements Pass as part of Epic’s ongoing collaboration with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Here’s what we know about the Avatar Elements Pass and its rewards so far. Avatar: The Last Airbender has been having a pretty big year despite having initially aired in 2005. (That’s almost 20 years ago for those that don’t want to think about it.) The live action Avatar show …
Fortnite
Proximity chat is coming to Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Proximity Chat is officially coming to Fortnite. Fortnite has continued to add new features and content month after month. The battle royale doesn’t seem to be slowing down when it comes to breaking the mold and trying out new ideas. It now seems very likely that proximity chat is next. Proximity chat is a feature that allows you to hear other players speaking when you’re nearby them, even if they …
Fortnite
How to compete in the FNCS Community Cups
Olivia Richman
The Fortnite Champion Series is bringing Community Cups to competitive grinders who want to win prizes and make a name for themselves. Here’s how to participate in the Community Cups and earn awards. The FNCS main event has millions on the line for top pros in the Fortnite scene. But everyone can participate by taking part in the Chapter 5 Season 1 Community Cups. Here’s how! The first Community Cup …
News
How to locate Lava Caves in LEGO Fortnite
Fariha Bhatti
Lava caves in LEGO Fortnite are rife with danger and enemies, but they are worth a visit if you’re looking for rare loot to grow your village. LEGO Fortnite has an easily maneuverable map, but some locations are hidden behind rocks and boulders. They don’t even appear on the map until you step into the location. Lava caves are one of those rare spots that house rare items. Unfortunately, they …
Everything we know about Silas Hesk in Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
The first Fortnite Crew skin of 2024 has been revealed. If you’re a monthly member, you’re about to get a new character to join your Fortnite Crew as part of the January 2024 collection. Here is what we know so far about Silas Hesk. Epic Games has revealed one character from the January 2024 collection named Silas Hesk. Every month, Epic Games announces a collection of new original characters for …
How to find Sgt. Winter and Krampus in Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite’s holiday event is underway. Winterfest 2023 has a bunch of free rewards, holiday challenges, and some interesting characters to encounter on the map. This includes Sgt. Winter and Krampus in Fortnite. Here is where you can find them. When you drop into a match, check out the bottom of the map, and you’ll see a location called Cliffside Lodge. It’s one of the most southern parts of the land. …
How to get the Marshall Magma Eminem skin in Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Will the real Slim Shady please get a victory royale? Eminem is in Fortnite, bringing an abundance of cosmetics to fans of the rapper. Now, a special outfit, the Marshall Magma skin, is coming to the Big Bang event. Here’s how to get it. You will need to purchase or unlock the Marshall Never More outfit in order to also unlock the Marshall Magma alternate style. The Marshall Never More …
Eminem is coming to Fortnite
Nicholas James
Fortnite
Rap superstar and the real Slim Shady himself, Eminem, is coming to Fortnite. Marshall Mathers, better known by his stage name Eminem, is one of the biggest figures in rap. Fortnite is no stranger to high-profile music collaborations, with artists from the Wu-Tang Clan to Ariana Grande having skins in the game. The Eminem skin will launch as a part of Chapter 4’s live event, The Big Bang. Eminem is …
Some Fortnite skins are age-restricted, and players are not happy
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
A new age restriction policy in Fortnite has changed how certain players can use popular skins. OG Fortnite has been a huge hit with the gaming community, breaking player count records with original maps and weapons. Season 7 and 8 came out today, but so did a new age restriction policy that is angering players. Social media has been flooded with Fortnite players’ angry outcries after the most recent update. …
When is OG Fortnite Chapter 1 Season 7 coming?
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
OG Fortnite was a massive success, bringing a lot of nostalgia to a passionate playerbase. While OG Fortnite is unfortunately only lasting a month, it’s been a whirlwind of exciting updates the entire time. Every week, OG Fortnite cycles to the next season of Chapter 1, bringing more content from the original chapter to the colorful battle royale. So when is Chapter 1 Season 7 coming to OG Fortnite? Right …
All the hidden Gnome locations in Fortnite OG
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite OG is shorter than other seasons. With only 30 days on the calendar, not everyone will be able to complete the short-lived battle pass but there’s another way to stack up XP: Hidden Gnomes. Classic features, rewards, and locations have returned with Fortnite OG. This also means the return of Gnomes, the popular cash cows for players looking to bag some extra XP while running away from their enemies. …
Fortnite breaks record for highest player count with return of OG map
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season OG is real, and it’s live. The original Chapter 1 has returned, roping in multiple millions of players to the Island. Fortnite’s exciting end to Season 4 saw villain Kado Thorne standing in front of the time machine set on date “2018 07 12.” Now, this twist has teleported the players back to the original location, the OG map in Chapter 1, and fans couldn’t be …
Hall of Whispers in Fortnite: Where is it and how to get there
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Can’t find the The Hall of Whispers in Fortnite? Here’s the exact location and how to travel from Secluded Spire to the Hall of Whispers without touching the water. Fortnitemares is an annual in-game event in the popular video game Fortnite, which debuted in 2017. This event typically takes place around Halloween and is known for introducing special Halloween-themed content and challenges to the game. One of the Fortnitemares quests …
How to play as Jack Skellington in Fortnite
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Jack Skellington is coming to Fortnite just in time for Halloween. Here is how to play as Jack Skellington during Fortnitemares 2023. Epic Games has announced some, well, epic collaborations for Fortnitemares 2023. This includes some great skins from Halloween, Alan Wake, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Want to play as the spindly Pumpkin King? Here’s what we know so far. Jack Skellington is coming to Fortnite as part of …
Horde Rush returns for Fortnitemares 2023
William Davis
Fortnite
Horde Rush is back as part of Fortnitemares 2023 with a new set of quests. Horde Rush is a limited time cooperative mode in Fortnite Battle Royale. It made its debut in Season 9 and returned in two previous occasions. Out of all the limited time modes, Horde Rush is very fitting for the Halloween time. In Horde Rush, players fight in three major encounters. They have 150 seconds to …
Fortnitemares 2023 skins: All Halloween outfits listed
William Davis
Fortnite
Fortnitemares 2023 has officially started and includes some scary skins available now. An enemy with full health and the best loot is no longer the spookier thing in Fortnite. As part of the Halloween celebration, named Fortnitemares 2023, Fortnite has added some iconic characters to the game. From Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington is now part of Fortnite. The outfit includes the Santa Jack alternative style and …
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.
