Fortnite
Fortnite
Everything we know about the Fortnite ranked mode
Nicholas James
Fortnite is finally getting an official ranked ladder, and here are all of the details you need to know about the new Fortnite ranked mode before you start your climb. Despite having an esports scene, Fortnite hasn’t had a mainstream ranked mode available for a long time. The closest thing fans could get was Arena modes, which were considered separate from normal queues. The addition of the new Ranked mode …
Fortnite
Everything we know about Fortnite Season 3
Nicholas James
The next Fortnite season is rapidly approaching, but what can fans expect from the next quarterly installment in Epic Games’ hit battle royale? Fortnite Chapter 4 has focused on an alternate version of Fortnite’s island, stitched together from fragments of various dimensions. This is why the island has such varied terrain, mixed time periods of buildings, and portals opening up and spitting out a wide variety of NPCs. This seems …
Fortnite
When does Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 end?
Nicholas James
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 2 has taken Fortnite into a Cyberpunk Neo-Tokyo aesthetic, but when will it end, and what can fans expect? Every calendar year of Fortnite is divided up into four Seasons, one for each quarter of the year. This year, each season has seen Fortnite’s island change with a new dimension modifying the map. From the Oathbound castles and keeps to the Fortnite MEGA cyberpunk cities, Epic …
Fortnite
How to unlock free Fortnite Mile Morales items
Nicholas James
Spiderman has returned to Fortnite, and this time Miles Morales is taking center stage, here’s how to unlock the free Fortnite Miles Morales items. The free Fortnite Miles Morales and Spiderman 2099 rewards are available through the Web Battles event. The Web Battles event is a registration-only event that you have to log into in order to participate. Ahead of the new Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse movie, it follows the …
Fortnite
New Star Wars Fortnite skins allegedly leaked
Nicholas James
It seems like Epic Games is testing new Star Wars Fortnite skins, according to rumors from Fortnite leakers. Star Wars has taken over Fortnite recently, with Force Powers, Lightsabers, and skins aplenty. With an ongoing event, it seems like there’s more content just around the corner for the new Fortnite event. Fortnite often adds test assets under code names, and it seems like more Sith might be on their way. …
Fortnite
How to find and get Fortnite Force Powers
Nicholas James
The Star Wars event is taking over Epic Games’ hit Battle Royale. Along with some exciting character skins, there is also the addition of the Force. Here’s how to find and acquire Fortnite Force Powers. The biggest twist in the new Star Wars event is the addition of both Sith and Jedi-themed supernatural abilities. These can be acquired during a match of the battle royale mode. Only one player in …
Fortnite
Here are all the Star Wars Fortnite prequel event Battle Pass rewards
Nicholas James
The latest Star Wars Fortnite event is being described as the ultimate Star Wars Fortnite experience by developer Epic Games, partially thanks to a free and premium battle pass. The Star Wars Fortnite event happening in early May of 2023 is focusing on the prequels. This means characters from Phantom Menace to Revenge of the Sith. As a part of this, a free and premium Battle Pass rewards track has …
Fortnite
Fortnite LEGO event leaked for Season 4
Nicholas James
Fortnite seems to be able to collaborate with nearly anybody and a Fortnite LEGO collaboration has been leaked ahead of its supposed release. Fortnite has had collaboration events with IPs from Marvel to Star Wars to animes like Dragon Ball Z and My Hero Academia. It looks like one of the upcoming events will be a Fortnite LEGO collaboration. As one of the largest toy brands on the planet, LEGO …
Submachine Gun unvaulted in Fortnite
Nicholas James
Fortnite
The Submachine Gun has been unvaulted in Fortnite, and this relic of the past is ready to change the game. Fortnite keeps a steady stream of new content flowing throughout any given season, adding brand-new features and reviving some of the bygone aspects of the game. The latest feature to be re-added to the game is the original short-range and rapid-fire weapon, the Submachine Gun. The Submachine Gun has been …
New Star Wars Fortnite event leaked
Nicholas James
Fortnite
A new Star Wars Fortnite event is apparently coming to the live servers quite soon, so here’s everything you need to know. Fortnite collaborates with all sorts of prominent IPs, from Marvel to anime series like Dragon Ball Z, and even Star Wars. Denizens from a galaxy far, far away have made their onto Fortnite’s island. The Jedi and Sith will be returning to Epic Games’ battle royale, and it …
Are Last of Us Fortnite skins coming?
Nicholas James
Fortnite
Fortnite is full of all sorts of pop culture crossovers, but are Last of Us Fortnite skins a possibility? Donald Mustard, the Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, was recently at an event where he was asked about the possibility of collaborating with Naughty Dog to bring The Last of Us to Fortnite. Fans of the hit narrative adventure games will be happy to hear that Joel and Ellie making …
How to beat the Eren Jaeger quests in Fortnite
Nicholas James
Fortnite
The Attack on Titan event is taking over Fortnite, and if you want to unlock the tie-in skin, you’ll have to beat the Eren Jaeger quests. Fortnite is chock full of anime collaborations, and Attack on Titan is the latest one to take over the game with items, cosmetics, and more. A key part of that event is a new Battle Pass. It includes a secret Eren Jaeger skin that’s …
How to find the Jaeger’s Family Basement in Fortnite
Nicholas James
Fortnite
There’s a huge Attack on Titan crossover in Fortnite MEGA right now, and one quest requires fans to find where the Jaeger’s Family Basement is hiding on the map. Eren Jaeger is the protagonist of Attack on Titan, and his skin is locked behind several themed quests tied to the new event. These quests require players who have purchased the Battle Pass to complete them before unlocking the Attack on …
How to find and use the Fortnite Thunder Spear
Nicholas James
Fortnite
The Attack on Titan Fortnite event has introduced two important new items in the ODM gear and the Thunder Spear weapon, so here’s how to put the Thunder Spear to good use. The Thunder Spear is a new Mythic Item in Fortnite added to the game by the Attack on Titan event that coincides with the release of several Attack on Titan skins. The Thunder Spear is a rocket launcher-type …
Fortnite welcomes Coachella with stylish skins
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Epic is making Coachella accessible for all with its latest collaboration, bringing Bad Bunny, Burna Boy, new skins, and emotes. Epic has a history of pulling off insane crossovers. From Marvel to Ariana Grande, the Fortnite developer has done it all. Epic is eyeing Coachella this time as it announces an in-game virtual music festival that lets players buy reactive items and skins. Fortnite’s Coachella festival begins on April 14 …
How to find and use the Fortnite ODM Gear Mythic Item
Nicholas James
Fortnite
The ODM Gear from Attack on Titan is completely changing the game, here’s how to find and use the Fortnite ODM Gear Mythic Item in Fortnite MEGA. The Attack on Titan event in Fortnite has added several new tools for players to use in their games of Fortnite. The most game-changing of these is the Omni-directional Mobility gear, straight from the anime. This is an incredibly limited-usage mobility Mythic Item …
All we know about the Coachella X Fortnite event
Olivia Richman
Fortnite
Fortnite players will soon be able to visit Coachella Island, which will include art installations, merch, and minigames. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of the biggest music events of the year. And it’s returning to Fortnite thanks to a partnership that includes concerts and cosmetics. Coachella Island is coming to Fortnite’s Creative mode on Friday, April 14, at 12 PM PST. Coachella Island is a virtual …
Mikasa and Levi are joining Eren in Fortnite with fierce skins
Fariha Bhatti
News
Great news for fans of Attack on Titan! Mikasa and Captain Levi are swinging into Fortnite maps very soon. The Attack on Titan and Fortnite collaboration was long due, with Epic teasing the Eren Yeager silhouette in the Chapter 4 Season 2 battle pass. But, the main protagonist won’t be the only one joining the battle arena. Fortnite’s islands will be scattered with Survey Cops fighting alongside the other characters …
The best Fortnite Creative 2.0 maps and their codes
Fariha Bhatti
Fortnite
Fortnite Creative 2.0 is finally live, which means talented players are at it to develop immersive islands in Unreal Engine 5. Creative mode in Fortnite has always been popular among fans. The sandbox-style game mode allows players to build, explore, and design unique creations on an island without the pressure of enemies or time limits. With unlimited resources, the possibilities are endless — Creative 2.0 is an advanced version that …
What is UEFN, Unreal Editor for Fortnite
Nicholas James
Fortnite
Fortnite is changing forever with this new addition to the game, but what is UEFN, Unreal Editor for Fortnite? Fortnite’s creative expression has been a huge draw for people creating custom game experiences, and it’s only going to get better. Recently, at the State of Unreal live stream, Epic Games unveiled a huge new step forwards for the game. It’s a modified version of the Unreal Engine that will open …
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.
