Interested in local Fortnite events in Las Vegas? More info at the bottom of the article.
As gamers, we are reminded again of the excitingly new and emerging state of esports in the wake of the 10 million gamers who played Fortnite Battle Royale only two weeks after release. Fortnite Battle Royale is now consistently among the top three most watched games on Twitch.tv and often the most watched game on Twitch by a large margin. Figures like these might not be jaw dropping for many jaded younger gamers who are used to their entertainment landscape changing drastically, but this is akin to a newly invented sport becoming more popular than football overnight.
Wikipedia explains the Fortnite basics for us :
Fortniteis a co-op sandboxsurvival gamedeveloped byEpic GamesandPeople Can Fly, with Epic Games also publishing the game. The game was released as a paid early access title forMicrosoft Windows,macOS,PlayStation 4andXbox Oneon July 25, 2017, with a fullfree-to-playrelease expected in 2018.
Fortniteis set in contemporary Earth, where the sudden appearance of a worldwide storm causes 98% of the world’s population to disappear, and zombie-like creatures rise to attack the remainder. Considered by Epic as a cross betweenMinecraftandLeft 4 Dead.
How Did Fortnite Become So Popular?
Despite Fortnite’s successful launch it wasn’t until their release of the free-to-play 100 person free-for-all mode in September that the game became the king of the hill on Twitch. Estimates have the player base growing by up to 20 fold because of the release of this new Battle Royale mode.
Although Battle Royale was new to Fortnite, the genre had recently been popularized by the previously most popular Twitch game; PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG. As you might imagine, there is some contentious debate, as some players see Battle Royale as a unique game in a new genre while others see Battle Royale as just an imitator of PUBG. According to engadget.com there could be more than just friction and drama here:
The new kid on the nascent ‘battle royale genre’ block is seriously challenging the reigning champ — butPUBGmight not take the usurpation lying down. Its studio Bluehole loudlycomplainedabout the overt similarities between its game (released last March) and Epic’s new spin-off, and even vaguely threatened the latter in a statement when it said the company would “contemplate further action.”
Is Fortnite the First Game to Dominate an Upcoming Genre?
History seems to repeat itself, even in the short history of esports. The old school gamers will recognize the similarities between this scenario and the rise of both DOTA and League of Legends. DOTA began as just an offshoot mini-game which evolved into one of the most played and most watched games in the world. DOTA is also credited for popularizing an entirely new genre of game. League of Legends was released years later and became the second well known game in the genre and was also massively successful as a game and a spectator esport. League of Legends received a lot of criticism early on as being a rip-off of DOTA, but when a new genre of game is created, there is always room to debate which aspect of a game should remain unique to that game, and which elements are just inherent to the genre that game popularized.
The Future of Fortnite in Las Vegas
Of Course Fortnite is still very new and we have yet to see how the new game and the new genre will shape the gaming and viewing landscape for esports. Despite the massive popularity of PUBG and Battle Royale, tournament organizers struggle to support a 100 person free for all game that lacks a defined pro scene.
One of the first venues looking to support the game is the Esports Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas which opens March 22, 2018 and is working with the local gaming communities to pioneer this evolving genre. Only time will tell if this genre is meant to stay at the top of the world of gaming and esports viewing.
Interested in local Fortnite events here in Vegas?
Check out Gamework’s upcoming Friday Fortnite Community Night on March 23rd.
Press Start Gaming, PVP Zone, and Wolf and Lamb have also hosted Fortnite events recently. Keep an eye out on our esports event calendar for future Fortnite events. Use the sorting filter to see events for your favorite games, genres, or venues!
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