Fortnite: Battle Royale Celebrates One Year with Unprecedented Success
One year ago, the massively popular game Fortnite: Battle Royale was launched, and since then it has become one of the most played games in the world.
Developed by Epic Games, Fortnite: Battle Royale was initially released on September 26, 2017 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Over the past year, the game has expanded to include versions for iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch, resulting in a significant increase in its playerbase. In fact, a record-breaking 78 million people played Fortnite in August, making it the highest number of players the game has ever seen.
While some players have expressed concerns about certain aspects of the game’s meta and its focus on building, it is clear that Fortnite continues to enjoy tremendous success.
In the past year, Fortnite has been featured on numerous livestreams, with one of the most notable being Tyler “Ninja” Blevins’ streams. Ninja, a former Halo pro, has become a prominent figure on Twitch and is often considered an ambassador for the game. He has even played Fortnite with celebrities like Drake, Chance The Rapper, Travis Scott, and NFL wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Related: Ninja to become first pro gamer on the cover of ESPN The Magazine
Numerous celebrities, including athletes, have also joined in on the Fortnite phenomenon. For example, Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price once jokingly said that he would play Fortnite all night to avoid pitching in the MLB All-Star game. Additionally, NFL players have incorporated Fortnite-inspired dances into their touchdown celebrations. Perhaps one of the most memorable moments was when France’s Antoine Griezmann performed the “Take The L” dance after scoring a goal in the FIFA World Cup final in July.
Fortnite’s success has not only influenced the rise of other battle royale games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but it has also led to the development of battle royale game modes in other popular titles. Companies such as Hi-Rez, Treyarch, and EA are planning to introduce battle royale modes in their upcoming Realm Royale, Call of Duty, and Battlefield game releases in the coming months.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a free-to-play game that generates revenue through in-game cosmetic purchases. In contrast to games like CoD and Battlefield, which charge around $60 for the base game, Fortnite: Battle Royale has remained free while earning over $1 billion in microtransactions. Regardless of what the future holds for the game’s upcoming seasons and years, it is undeniable that few games have experienced such incredible success during their opening year as Fortnite: Battle Royale has.