Fortnite

By: Peter Ingham

When Epic Games first announced they would be dipping their toes into the battle royale genre and begin competing with the highly successful (both from a profit standpoint, as well as critical response) PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG, it seemed like a recipe for success. And it certainly paid off considering that Fortnite: Battle Royale has (as of writing) hit forty million players milestone and two million concurrent players with no clear sign of slowing down. Whether or not Epic can maintain this kind of momentum remains to be seen; however, factoring in the immense amount of support the game receives thanks to community feedback, free updates (including map tweaks, seasonal events, etc.), it is presumably safe to say Fortnite is here to stay.

Sadly, the success of Battle Royale has also meant that Fortnite, the objective based and team focused mode which laid the groundwork for Battle Royale, hasn’t had the success it deserves. This is a shame considering the richness of the experience it gives players. There’s a strong focus on defending objectives whilst fighting off waves off enemies and working as part of a team is paramount to progressing further. This, in itself, is nothing new and has been done to death across everything from the Call of Duty series (zombie co-op mode) to Titanfall’s large scale defense missions where you’ll scramble to secure capture points and most recently Metal Gear Survive with its emphasis on four-man teams against onslaughts of infected soldiers. Where Fortnite shines; however, is in the base building mechanics where you’ll find yourself scrambling to gather resources in order to craft makeshift bases and defenses in order to better secure your objective. Everything from steel, to wood and stone can be used to create bunkers, towers and large scale structures. Each material also has its own level of damage it can sustain before being destroyed too and managing your resources plays into the strategy of the game as much as working as part of your four man team to coordinate attacks and defenses.

If all that sounds appealing, rest assured it is, which makes it all the more saddening to see Epic Games cutting down the staff working on the game by half, effectively placing the game on the backburner to focus on their titanic success Battle Royale. Fortnite is effectively a shadow underneath Goliath these days as player numbers have dwindled and the majority of people still playing only seem to do so in order to get in-game currency, which can be carried across to Battle Royale and exchanged for character skins and emotes. Perhaps once Fortnite goes free to play later this year (no release date has been confirmed as of yet) we’ll see the numbers go up, if only by a small margin.

Unlike PUBG, Battle Royale keeps the humor firmly tongue-in-cheek, the stark contrast between the two is evident straight away. PUBG has a more sombre, serious tone to it all whereas Battle Royale is bright colors, disco grenades, deployable bushes (which may be a little joke on the part of Epic Games since players quickly realized that hiding in low bushes, rendered you practically invisible to the point where you could essentially wait out an entire match hidden in one) and comedy sound effects each time you vault off a tire spring. There’s enjoyment to be had from all aspects of the game, minus the occasions where someone will trundle from behind a tree and finish you off as you get overly confident in your abilities to traverse the map without being killed.

It’ll be interesting to see where the Fortnite: Battle Royale roadmap goes throughout 2018. The foundation is there and Epic Games are clearly in for the long run. Plus, with the critical success and of PUBG, the two IPs will no doubt be competing with each other to deliver the best experience. Both games deliver exciting experiences and offer fantastic co-op hijinks with friends, though they’re also two very different beasts despite sharing the same genre. If you’re looking for something easy to get into, but difficult to master, Fortnite: Battle Royale is easy to recommend. It’s highly accessible, easy on the eye and incredibly charming. Throw in the base building element and you have a recipe for success.

In conclusion, it’s clear the battle royale genre is here to stay, though for how long will likely depend on the two games (and studios) spearheading it. Trends in video games tend to come and go and potentially something even bigger could overtake the current craze and become the new kid on the block. I’m excited for the future of the genre and looking forward to seeing more of where Fortnite, not just Battle Royale but the IP in general is heading. And if any studio has proven they have the chops to deliver an excellent gaming experience whilst consistently fixing and listening to the problems, it’s Epic Games.