How Fortnite changed the face of gaming

Fortnite, developed by Epic Games in 2017, hit the gaming world by storm. With over 250 million players reached worldwide, its influence on the world of gaming is undeniable. In this article, we will be pinpointing some of the key things Fortnite has implemented into its Battle Royale mode, that in my opinion, has changed the landscape of gaming as we know it.

After all the time I have spent playing Fortnite, it still blows my mind that this game was free from the very beginning! The amount of effort Epic Games put into it is remarkable, given that they are handing it out for free. Nonetheless, this was a smart move that has paid off on the highest level. Making it free allowed gamers all over the world to try it out with no risk, as there was literally nothing to lose. The fact the game actually turned out to be good, meant it was in a league of its own, as a great game that encourages fun, socialising, teamwork and a skill ladder incentive, all for free!

There are many things within Fortnite that we have seen before. However, the ability to harvest material and build with it was certainly new to me. For someone like me, who happens to be horrible at shooting games, Fortnite has been a breath of fresh air. Normally, if your shooting skill level is low, you lose. However, the building element of Fortnite means shooters are not necessarily the best. There are so many different ways to play, which in my opinion, levels out the playing field. I even once won a solo game without getting a single kill! :P

The ability to play online with friends is what separates the good games from the great games. Playing solo is an option, but I personally prefer to play duos or squads. That’s when I thrive. My friends and I aren’t the most skilled when it comes to the Fortnite mechanics, but we win a lot of games. Why? Because teamwork beats skill nearly every time, which cannot be said for many games. This is likely what has helped attract and retain a loyal audience.

I believe Fortnite was one of the first BIG games to implement cross-platform gaming. Not only can Playstation and Xbox players play together, but PC players are also in the mix! Thus, making it a better experience for everyone, as all we really want to do is play with all our friends without any restrictions. Big win for Fortnite.

The Fortnite team have done a great job with this one. They really know how to keep up with internet culture and trends. Take for instance the emergence of Tik Tok. Every time there is a viral dance (often created on Tik Tok) in real life, Fortnite add it to the game, and make it available for players to claim and use in game! In additional, Fortnite also pay attention to real life events, such as the World Cup or Super Bowl, but also festive holidays like Christmas or Chinese New Year. There was even an Infinity War update prior to the Avengers movie being released in cinema. Fortnite always has fresh new dance moves, emotes and map themes to match the real world, which is something we can all appreciate.

Fortnite is built to be easily enjoyable for everyone. You can find people of all ages, from all walks of life playing this game. It’s extremely easy to get into and has an inclusive nature to it. Creating a game with several target audiences is extremely difficult, but Epic Games somehow managed to crack that code.

Being a highly skilful player looks great, and certainly ups your chances of winning. Although it is not a guarantee, even if you are the most skilled player in the lobby. Luck can play a huge part as it only takes one good head shot to be eliminated.

The battle pass system in Fortnite was an amazing idea. Fortnite show you what rewards you can get and what is required to earn the regards, and all you need to do is play! It is free. Not only do you earn new emotes, Fortnite gear and cool skins, but you can also earn VC. You can use the VC to either purchase exclusive content in store, or you save up and spend the VC on the next season’s battle pass. This means you can continue to enjoy the game season after season without ever spending a penny!

Fortnite we play together is the same game that came out all those years ago. There is no Fortnite 2 or anything like that. But so much has changed. This is because the game is constantly being updated with new content and themes. It seems as though Epic Games really does care about the Fortnite community and are happy to keep rewarding us with refreshing new updates. Epic Games have a dedicated team that focuses solely on Fortnite, and it shows.

Fortnite are constantly releasing new themes into the game, and they often revolve around real world events. In terms of themes, we’ve had: Star Wars, Avengers, John Wick and many more. I truly believe this is what helps Fortnite to constantly reach new audiences. Imagine you are someone who has never been tempted to play Fortnite battle royal, but you happen to be a big Star Wars fan. Then you stumble across a video on YouTube of people having a Lightsaber fight, or you are a Marvel fan, and you walk into your friend’s room, and he is battling against Thanos. It’s eye catching content is enough to make you want to play, even if solely out of curiosity.

This is probably the biggest one for me. Fortnite has birthed some of the biggest streamers we know of today. One of them being Ninja, who became statistically the biggest streamer on Twitch, whilst streaming Fortnite. It has literally made careers and changed people lives forever. Furthermore, at one point, Fortnite held title as the number streamed game on Twitch. It took over the streaming community, and therefore exposed millions of people to the game. Word of mouth taken to a new level.

All in all, Fortnite really made their mark in the world of gaming. And although there were battle royal games that came before, and will likely be plenty that come after, Fortnite elevated this genre of gaming to new heights, to the point where it is competing with the more popular games out there. All whilst being free. It has certainly one of the biggest impacts on gaming culture ever, and for that will most likely go down in the record books as one of, if not the best games of this generation.