Fortnite has consistently managed to keep the heavily saturated battle royale genre refreshing. Although the playerbase and coverage on Twitch and Youtube has significantly dwindled compared to its prime, Fortnite is still a shining example of what a metaverse can accomplish and how games have become more than just games.
Epic Games has gone leaps and bounds to develop Fortnite in terms of balanced gameplay and map design. They've also secured collaborations with some of the world's most popular IPs.
Through seamless avatar customization, well-crafted in-game events, partnerships with large IPs, and a variety of game modes. Fortnite became a playground and social platform for kids and adults.
In this article, I’ll give an intro to Fortnite and the feats Epic Games has accomplished that make this revolutionary battle royale more than just a game.
What is Fortnite?
In Fortnite, a squad of 4, 3, 2, or even just a solo player must duke it out against up to 100 other players in a full-on fight to the finish. The last remaining player gets that all-so-sought-after victory royale!
Fortnite was not the first battle royale game. However, I would say it was the first battle royale game that truly shot the genre up to its current status in the market, and brought it to mainstream audiences.
Thanks to the buzz around battle royales that Fortnite created, today the biggest developers in the world have added battle royales to their portfolios.
For example, we can look at the very successful Call of Duty: Warzone, and even Nintendo’s foray into the market with Super Mario Bros. 35 and Super Bomberman R online.
Despite all this competition entering the market, Fortnite has consistently remained as one of the best battle royale games that you could get your hands on.
So, what keeps Fortnite so refreshing?
Is it the change in gameplay mechanics brought into every single season? Is it the changes to the game’s map every season? Is it the crazy skins and in-game events?
I'd say it is actually a mix of all of this that has created something known as the Fortnite Metaverse.
What is the Fortnite Metaverse?
For context purposes; the Metaverse is the next big step in the internet. It is a digital social world, where people have customizable avatars, agency, and freedom within the digital reality of the Metaverse.
The Fortnite Metaverse is a unique concept, built around creating a community of people who are creative, and love to socialize within virtual worlds.
Fortnite hasn’t been shy about it either, creating virtual concerts with Travis Scott, live events with Marvel’s Avengers, and even providing content to watch such as Star Wars Episode IX: Return of the Jedi.
It also has a creative mode where creators can craft their own worlds with unique things to do within the metaverse.
There are servers made for creation or roleplay purposes, so you can just simply hangout with your friends and create new experiences together which you can share with the community!
With these servers and creative modes, Epic Games has pushed people into engaging more and more within Fortnite, not as just a battle royale game but as a space to relax and hang out.
How the Fortnite Metaverse has Revolutionized Gaming
For a moment during its peak, Fortnite became one of the largest games ever, with 350 million players registered.
Due to its large playerbase and coverage from streamers on Twitch, it became an advertising platform in its own right for some of the world's largest IPs.
From music labels and film studios to other game studios and even football, everyone seemed to be flocking to Epic Games for a Fortnite collaboration.
Fortnite’s done it all; it has had popular emotes with music from pop stars such as Travis Scott, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Marshmallow, and many more!
It hosted a virtual concert with Marshmallow and Travis Scott, and these events were some of the most hyped events in gaming history.
They had amazing events and even whole seasons dedicated to promoting content such as The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars Episode 9, The Mandalorian, recent DC movies, Tomb Raider, Terminator, and a plethora of other content!
The game even went on to create skins for football players such as Neymar Jr., Marco Reus, Harry Kane and a bunch of other Football uniforms!
You can even head into the creative mode and play Football against each other, the game has turned into a social hub!
Why Kids and Adults are Drawn to the Fortnite Metaverse
It’s very easy to assume why people both kids and adults are drawn to the Fortnite Metaverse.
For kids, they get to have fun with their friends, forge new friendships online, and decorate their avatars to match their favorite heroes and their idols, from the worlds of music and movies to even sports.
For adults, the Metaverse has turned into a creative outlet for people to showcase their talents as game developers and other kinds of creators. Not only that, Fortnite became a place to hang out with your friends, no matter what age you were.
Personally, living in Tokyo, Japan, I find it hard to stay in touch with people in Canada. However, in 2019 and 2020, I often found myself catching up with friends over a 2-hour-long session of Fortnite.
In many ways, Fortnite became the modern community center or outdoor basketball court where people came to socialize, regardless of their actual skill level in the game. It was an open place for everyone.
It’s a social gathering experience that you can’t find anywhere else.
Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney has said before that Fortnite is a game, but it will always be evolving with time into something much larger, something like a Metaverse.
Time will tell how deeply committed Epic is to this incredibly beautiful and bold idea for the future of virtual worlds.
This article is part of The Gaming Metaverse Writing Contest hosted by HackerNoon in partnership with The Sandbox.
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