So, you’ve just got to know that the most successful battle royal game on the entire Earth is Fortnite — with over 350 million players around the globe. Just after you heard it, you’re wondering why is Fortnite popular. That we’ll find out today.
For instance, this guide lays down the most effective aspects of Fortnite that make it so well-demanding. Other than the satisfactory gameplay, it packs lots of other stuff making it the biggest game around.
With that said, let’s dive right in.
The Revelation of Fortnite
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Epic Games first revealed Fortnite back in 2011, at Video Games Awards.
The company released it as a base-building game where players could gather resources, build forts, fight creatures, and so on. They revealed the gameplay as exciting as possible.
The trailer of the game was presented along with some other popular games like Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, and Rainbox Six: Patriots (which was canceled, later on).
But, when was Fortnite made?
Resources reveal that the developers had nothing other than the game trailer at the time. And started working on the game after the audience’s demand as they saw the trailer.
What’s exciting is, no one knew the game would take as long as 6 years to come out.
During the production of Fortnite, the team developing it was also working on Paragon, another online battle arena game.
Anyway, Fortnite came out as a paid early access game on 25th July 2017. It was incomplete at the time but still got pretty famous.
Insights Into Fortnite’s Launch
Image Credit: EpicGames
Right after 2 months, the completed version of the game was launched.
Fortnite: Battle Royale was officially released in September 2017.
But, when did Fortnite get so popular? Well, it was popular even before its release and attracted 1 million players around the globe within 24 hours after its launch. Exciting, no?
What set Fortnite apart at the time was the easy-to-pick gameplay that was exciting, functional, versatile, and less violent compared to other games out there.
Another major highlight of Fortnite was the cross-platform support. Games like Player Unknown Battlegrounds only allowed PC players to play with other PC players, Xbox players with Xbox users, and so on.
But, Fortnite gave players the freedom to play with other cross-platform players around the world. In other words, the Xbox players could play with PC players as well as PlayStation players and vice versa.
This made Fortnite incredibly captivating for friends who used different platforms and who were disappointed in not being able to play altogether.
The gameplay of the game was also marvelous. People loved the strategic gameplay with brilliantly crafted objects and places like Tilted Towers.
Image Credit: EpicGames
With this kind of exciting gameplay, it got popular on social media soon. In fact, it had become a trending topic on various social media platforms as well as the most-watched game on Twitch.
Developers soon took the game to the next level by adding a battle pass during Season 2. By January 2018, Fortnite had reached 40 million users around the world.
With this kind of remarkable growth and success, Epic Games decided to shut down Paragon to utilize resources for making Fortnite even better.
Some Exciting Stats About Fortnite’s Popularity
Image Credit: EpicGames
Below are some remarkable statics you should know about Fortnite:
- Within 3 years of its launch, in May 2020, Fortnite reached a worldwide user base of 350 million players
- The mobile shooter version of Fortnite has also been remarkably popular, with 78 million downloads around the world
- As of April 2020, the total number of hours Fortnite has been played falls somewhere around 3.2 billion
- Within 1 year of the release, Fortnite got to serve 125 million players worldwide
- The average number of concurrent players on Fortnite is 937,500
- The peak concurrent player count of Fortnite was 78 million (happened in 2018)
- 36% of Fortnite players spend 0-6 hours on Fortnite every week
- 34% of users spend 6-12 hours on Fortnite each week
- Whereas, 5% of players spend 21 hours or more on Fortnite every week
- More than 30% of users play Fortnite on iOS (iPhone devices)
Sources: FinancesOnline & Statista
If you’re still not stunned by Fortnite’s success, well, I’ve got nothing to say then.
Now, Why is Fortnite So Popular?
There are many unique things about Fortnite that make it so breathtakingly popular. Let’s take a look at them one by one.
Free of Cost Availability
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As a rule of thumb, good things generally don’t come for free. But, Fortnite flips the game. The game is available for free across different platforms. No doubt, it’s one of the biggest reasons behind Fortnite’s popularity.
If you look into the other incredibly popular games like Player Unknown Battleground, Minecraft, and Destiny 2, they’re all paid.
Though they’re rich in gameplay, they’re still out of the reach of many.
The availability of Fortnite to anyone, without having to spend a single penny, is what sets it apart from the pack.
Now, if you’re wondering how the game’s expenses are supported, well, the game still makes a lot of money through in-game purchases.
In fact, data reveals that Fortnite has made over 4.3 billion dollars within 2 years of its launch, all through microtransactions and players’ support.
Anyway, as long as this revenue helps Fortnite make it accessible for free, we’re good with it, right?
Versatile Compatibility
Fortnite is one of the most versatile games in terms of platforms. It works on:
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- iOS
- Android
- Xbox series
- Microsoft Windows
- Xbox One
- Nintendo Switch
- macOS
As the list suggests, Fortnite has barely missed out on a popular platform people use for gaming. With that kind of remarkable support for platforms, it becomes a great option for a wide range of people.
An application that works on multiple platforms simply has more acceptance from users. For instance, someone would prefer Fortnite more than a game they could only play on their personal computer.
Twitch Visibility of Fortnite
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If you’re not sure, Twitch is an American live streaming platform used for content streaming, video streaming, podcasts, and so on. But, what it ultimately focuses on and is renowned for is video game streaming.
If I take you back in time, around March 2018, League of Legends was ruling Twitch and was the most-watched live video streaming game. But, the same month, Fortnite overtook it and became the most-viewed video game on Twitch.
There are many reasons behind the Twitch popularity of Fortnite. It got a lot of traction on the platform when the most widely popular players like Ninja, Shroud, and Dynamo started playing and streaming Fortnite.
A Way to Bring Together Friends
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If you remember the old times when a group of friends used to come over to a friend’s place to enjoy retro video games. Fortnite has done quite the same for us.
Though it lets the friends connect and engage visually, it still tends to be a great way to remain in connection with your friends.
Its cross-platform support and free-of-cost availability made it possible for friends to enjoy their free time playing Fortnite altogether.
Further aiding Fortnite’s versatility is the voice chat feature that lets players talk to one another.
Friends can simply use it to devise strategies on how they’re going to conquer the match as well as ask about how’s life going during not-so-competitive conditions. It’s pretty much another way of making a phone call.
By the way, have you ever faced issues with Fortnite live chat? If you did, consider skimming through our guide on Fortnite game chat not working to find an effective solution.
Also, learn how to use it in simple steps with our guide on how to use Fortnite voice chat.
Socialization (Though Visual)
As human beings, socializing with others is important for our mental health and it keeps us from feeling alone.
Thankfully, Fortnite allows players to socialize with players from all over the world. It’s not uncommon for two players to become friends after a single match.
If I talk about my personal experience, Fortnite helped me to make friends from all over the world. Though I’ve never seen or interacted with them in real life, I still know they exist and are available for help if I’m willing to play Fortnite.
What makes Fortnite stand out is the availability of tons of cosmetic items, clothes, and dances & taunts. With complete control over customizing these, players get the chance to express themselves through these.
Speaking of taunts in special, they’re an amazing way to interact with friends.
However, where the game brings lots of socialization benefits, it also holds plenty of downsides. For instance, a study in America reveals that 35% of students have skipped studying to enjoy Fortnite.
Even the adults (other than teens and kids) tend to enjoy the game, with 20% of workers skipping their work for Fortnite.
Visuals
Even though Fortnite’s visuals are far from realistic (unlike PUBG PC and Destiny 2), they tend to be far more engaging and interactive. In fact, players love the cartoonish visuals and characters of the game.
When maxed out, Fortnite’s graphics give compelling and interactive visuals to make the players further engaged in the game. The inclusion of a range of sound and visual effects just levels up the game engagement.
Other than that, what sets Fortnite apart from other AAA titles is that its graphics are pretty unique. Unlike games that make the graphics more and more realistic, Fortnite focuses on making them as engaging as possible.
Unpredictable Gameplay
No doubt, the unpredictable gameplay is among the major highlights of Fortnite. Like other Battle Royale games, you never know what’s ahead when playing Fortnite.
Maybe you’re going to stand #1 among the 100 players that might be playing. Or, maybe you’ll end up beating your friend who has been scoring more than you in the past few minutes.
Similarly, some other exciting and unpredictable moments include trying out new ways to hide or kill in the game or getting engaged in a complex 12-player fight.
With all these possibilities at hand, Fortnite becomes an incredibly interesting game for the players that like it.
Frequent Updates
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As a rule of thumb, keeping the game fresh is important to make sure players remain interested in it. But unfortunately, not all game developers have big teams to ensure they keep bringing new updates for the game.
On the other hand, Fortnite is developed by Epic Games which is a large game studio. They developed a range of other large games like Gears of War and have sufficient resources to regularly bring new things to Fortnite as well as ensure a smooth gaming experience.
To be clear, Epic Games has been paying special attention to Fortnite ever since it broke the world records for games and showed exponential growth. The company had shut down another game it was working on and had dedicated its resources to Fortnite.
Coming to the point, the game is now updated every week with lots of bug fixes, new events, more in-game items, and whatnot?
Compared to other games on the market that are only updated periodically, Fortnite is amazing in terms of bug fixes and the inclusion of new stuff.
Similarly, the game keeps introducing new events to give players a reason for coming back.
By the way, have you ever faced issues when updating Fortnite? Well, go through our detailed guide on “why won’t my Fortnite update ” for definitive information around it and to find effective solutions for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fortnite more popular than Minecraft?
Fortnite and Minecraft are among the most popular games around. Where Minecraft has more than 126 million active users, Fortnite is more popular at a user base of 350 million. Considering the fact that Minecraft has been around since 2011 whereas Fortnite got released in 2017, Fortnite’s growth is exponential and remarkable.
Why is Fortnite so addictive?
There’s plenty of factors that make Fortnite so addictive and compelling. Firstly, the urge of leveling up and getting more and more stuff unlocked makes players come back every day and play Fortnite. Other than that, the regular weekly updates, events, and the constant addition of new items make Fortnite addictive.
Is Fortnite dying?
There are rumors about Fortnite’s death all over the internet and social media. But, considering how active the Fortnite community is, its Twitch popularity, social media engagement, and the fact that it still gets 3-8 million concurrent players, it is revealed that Fortnite is not dying.
Is Fortnite worth playing in 2021?
If you’re wondering whether the new seasons of Fortnite are still as amazing as the previous ones were, well, yes, they’re still remarkable according to players. Many people believed that Fortnite won’t actually deliver what it promises in trailers but it actually did.
Why is Fortnite so hard now?
The major reason why Fortnite is so hard is its popularity. Considering how well-known it is, even the average players have got remarkable skills (whether it’s about building huts or picking the right weapon combo). But still, if you’re committed to practicing more and more, you’ll get there in no time.
Key Takeaways
To sum up, here are the takeaways for “Why is Fortnite so popular?”
- One of the major reasons why Fortnite is so widely popular is its free-of-cost availability. Unlike games like PUBG and Destiny 2, Fortnite doesn’t require players to pay for enjoying the game.
- Another remarkable feature of Fortnite that sets it apart is cross-platform gaming. For instance, now the players of PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows can all play together.
- Furthermore, the consistent updates and addition of new items, events, bug fixes, and improvements to the game make it evergreen and compelling option for players.
