Fortnite Battle Royale: how it works and why it’s so popular
Since launching little more than seven months ago, Fortnite Battle Royale has become one of the most popular computer games in the world.
Developed by Epic Games, the same studio behind the Gears of War and Unreal Tournament franchises, Fortnite Battle Royale is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game that has hooked millions of players.
The cartoon-style game, which was released last September, is free for people with a PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Apple portable device.
A paid version of the game, simply called Fortnite, is due to launch later this year. This version will include the Battle Royale free-for-all mode, along with a multiplayer survival section where players are tasked with fending off enemy soldiers.
So why has Fortnite Battle Royale become the must-have computer game?
What is Fortnite Battle Royale?
Fortnite Battle Royale is a massively online multiplayer computer game that pits 100 players against each other in a virtual world.
The game is inspired by a concept popularised by the Japanese novel Battle Royale, The Daily Telegraph says, where the last person standing is deemed to be the winner.
Players are dropped into random areas of the virtual world where they’re free to scavenge for weapons to defend themselves, the newspaper says.
Players must keep moving to stay in the game. Much like in the novel, danger zones crop up across the virtual world as the battle progresses. Players in a danger zone must run to a safe area as quickly as possible, otherwise they risk being eliminated from the game.
How much does it cost?
Unlike most video games on consoles and PCs, Fortnite Battle Royale is free to download and play. This means players can access all the title’s multiplayer modes and weapons without having to spend any money.
However, players can buy the game’s Premium Battle Pass using real money, The Guardian says, and this unlocks “exclusive clothing and items”. To buy a pack, players need to purchase V-Bucks, the game’s virtual currency, with their own money. It costs £7.99 to download 1,000 V-Bucks. Battle packs are priced at 950 V-Bucks.
These battle packs only last a “season” (roughly three months), the newspaper says. After a season has passed, players must purchase another battle pass in order to access more exclusive content.
Players who spend money on battle packs don’t have an advantage in online fire fights. Battle packs only include cosmetic items, such as new outfits and weapon designs, none of which give players the upper hand on the battlefield.
Is there a mobile version?
There certainly is. As the game’s free-to-play economy is similar to a host of mobile titles, such as Clash of Clans, it’s no surprise that Epic Games has developed a version of Fortnite for smartphone users.
According to Eurogamer, the portable release of the free-for-all game has been designed to be as similar to the Xbox, PlayStation and PC versions as possible. Players can fight on the same map and take part in the same events as the standard version.
What’s more, mobile phone users can compete against friends playing the game on their consoles or PCs.
The mobile release of Fortnite Battle Royale is only available on Apple’s iOS systems, but the Daily Express says that an Android version is expected to launch over the next few months.
What’s wrong with the Switch version?
The release of Fortnite Battle Royale for the company’s Switch console was one of the biggest announcements at Nintendo’s conference at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) earlier this month.
The game is almost identical to the versions available on the Microsoft’s Xbox One, the Sony PlayStation 4 and PC, which should mean players can carry over their progress if they have played Fortnite on another system.
Players can also take on gamers who are using different consoles, known as cross-play.
However, gamers who played Fortnite Battle Royale on a PS4 prior to downloading the Switch version were blocked from using their account, forcing them to start all over again, says gaming blog Kotaku.
Following a backlash from gamers across social media, Sony issued a statement to the BBC that said: “We also offer cross-play support with PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices, expanding the opportunity for Fortnite fans on PS4 to play with even more gamers on other platforms.”
Or to put it another way, Sony will allow players to access their accounts on many other devices but not on the Switch or Xbox One, which are direct rivals to the PS4, says Business Insider.
In response, Microsoft and Nintendo have launched a joint trailer promoting cross-play between their two consoles.
Why is it so popular?
One of the major factors that has made Fortnite Battle Royale so successful is that it’s free to play, says Polygon. Players don’t need to splash any cash to battle against their friends. This makes the game significantly more accessible than other multiplayer titles such as Call of Duty or Star Wars: Battlefront II.
Another attraction is that the game is cross platform, meaning that Xbox and PlayStation players can compete against one another.
Equally appealing is that one of the game’s 45 million players is the rapper Drake, who livestreams some of his online matches, The Sun says.
Drake shares footage from his matches using the broadcasting service Twitch, the newspaper says, which is particularly popular with younger gamers.
Famous YouTubers, such as Jacksepticeye and PewDiePie, also upload video footage from their matches. One of PewDiePie’s videos, for instance, has amassed nearly nine million views in just over two weeks.
Finally, Fortnite Battle Royale’s visual style is far less violent than other multiplayer fighting titles, The Guardian says. This makes it appealing to both casual and professional video gamers.
