Ever since Fortnite introduced its free-to-play Battle Royale mode, the latest title from Epic Games has skyrocketed into incredible popularity. Even mainstream media with no prior interest in video games are covering this specific gaming experience, making it a whirlwind within the community itself. With unheard of numbers, weekly updates, and a constant attention to detail - it shouldn't be surprising that Fortnite continues to thrive despite naysayers it's a fleeting phase. What may be a surprise, however, is the fact that this game is now officially a billion dollar franchise.

A new report from SuperData just released their latest findings, including the revelation that Fortnite has surpassed that billion dollar marker. Given that most players don't even buy the Save the World mode, only to partake in the free-to-play Battle Royale, it's impressive. From in-shop items, to the battle pass - Epic Games knows what they are doing as a business, while also giving players exactly what they want. They're also not afraid to pivot their own vision a bit to accommodate fan desires, as seen with many of the Limited Time Mode swap outs and skin choices.

According to SuperData, "While games like DayZ, H1Z1, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds laid the foundation, Fortnite: Battle Royale is what caused the genre to explode." They also added, "Unlike other battle royale games, Fornite is both free-to-play and initially launched on all available platforms. The game’s mainstream success started to skyrocket thanks to gaming video platforms and celebrities. Twitch exposed a huge audience to Fortnite through prominent streamers like Ninja. Ninja’s stream with Drake hit 635K viewers, breaking the concurrent viewership record at the time."

Also in this site's report is the estimation that the Battle Royale genre won't be slowing down any time soon. In fact, many industry professionals have predicted that "every online game" in the near future will house this particular genre of gameplay in some form of another. Call of Duty and Battlefield are both perfect examples of this, even Rockstar is considering it with their Red Dead Redemption 2 title. Whether you like Battle Royale or not is kind of a moot point right, because it is everywhere and that's not going to change any time soon.

For now, we bask in the glory that is available in season 5 of Fortnite, available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS devices.

Posted: Jul 20, 2018 10:06 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/07/18/fortnite-passes-1-billion-in-revenue/