Have you seen that video of two Fortnite players sharing a heartbreaking moment as one of them sails into the horizon on the rocket of the other to escape a deathly storm? How about those ridiculous dancing videos where three avatars simultaneously break it down? Recently, the worldwide web has been inundated with memes and videos of the extremely popular online game, Fortnite.
Powered by Epic Game’s Unreal Engine 4 and developed by the former alongside People Can Fly, Fortnite has taken the world by storm. The game has broken world records and even attracted some of the hottest individuals in the music scene to play it, such as Drake and Travis Scott.
But one thing remains unclear to those who’ve never played the game: Why is Fortnite so popular?
1. It’s Free to Play
The biggest, most determining factor of Fortnite’s success is that it is a free-to-play game. Games with paywalls or price tags section off a younger audience from the get-go. Unlike other games in the genre (i.e. Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and H1Z1), players lose nothing financially by playing the game. In the event that they dislike the game, they can uninstall it, remaining $30 up whilst still experiencing the worldwide phenomenon. Furthermore, there’s nothing to bar friends from playing with one another. After all, it’s free.
2. Fortnite is different
Fortnite takes a spin on the battle royale genre, an upcoming genre which has already arguably surpassed MOBA’s in terms of popularity. Unlike other battle royale games, it offers a building system, similar to games like Roblox and Minecraft, yet again appealing to the younger demographic. The significance of building in Fortnite is so high that it can determine life or death and is a separate skill to master.
3. Aesthetically pleasing
Unlike other games of the same genre, Fortnite presents goofy, friendly graphics, similar to those from Pixar movies. Alongside this, lighter shades of colours are used to create a vivid world for both children and adults.
4. Frequent updates
Epic Games has seemingly learned from their previous game, Paragon, providing very frequent and fun updates. It isn’t uncommon to have a new mode and a new weapon released in a single patch! More and more content is added each update, including cash shop cosmetics. Who doesn’t love variety?
5. Social Media dominant
Fortnite is quite literally everywhere. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook – you name it. Popular pages such as Worldstar are often uploading awesome clips from players, only boosting the game’s fame.
6. It’s made for everyone
Although the forefront of Fortnite is Battle Royale, it is possible to play the game in campaign mode as well. By purchasing the “Save the World” mode (which will become free this year), those less fond of the 100 player bloodbath can play against the AI in a whole different mode. On top of this, they can opt to play with friends in the campaign, which also provides lore of the Fortnite world. Crossplay is also now a feature, meaning friends sharing different platforms (PC, mobile, Xbox and PS4) can play together!
Still confused about what all the fuss is about? Is your friend still constantly occupied and occasionally screaming at their monitor or phone? Why not join them? Love it or hate it, Fortnite is definitely a game that everyone should try.
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