A new video game is sweeping the nation once again. This time around, it is Epic Games’ Fortnite Battle Royale.
Released in the summer of 2017, the game did not explode in popularity until the beginning of 2018. Fortnite is a survival game that features 100 players that play alone or with friends. The main objective of the popular game is to scavenge a remote island for weapons and armor that give you an advantage over your opponents. The last person standing out of the 100 is the winner.
As of this time, over 40 million people have downloaded Fortnite on their gaming consoles or computers. The popularity is only going to rise as Epic Games recently made the popular game available on the App Store for all IOS devices. With weekly updates, fresh gameplay and new weapons are a constant, keeping the game from getting repetitive and boring. Celebrities like Drake, Travis Scott, Joe Jonas, and Juju Smith-Schuster have all vocally supported the popular game on their respective social media accounts. With the popularity at its apex right now, the only direction Epic Games can go is up.
“(What makes Fortnite so fun) is that they constantly have new game modes that keep the game new, and it’s super fun to play with your friends,” junior Dillon Rego said.
Another South student, senior Sam Burris, also enjoys Fortnite.
“I like the game because I am able to play a competitive game with friends,” Burris said.
However, some South students believe that the game may become less popular in the upcoming future.
“(The popularity of the game) I think will eventually die down, and a lot of people will forget about it, but I don’t think it’s going to die for a long time,” Rego said.
Ultimately, Fortnite is taking the world by storm, with kids and adults worldwide playing the popular game every day. Epic Games total profit off of Fortnite in February alone was a staggering $126 million. Keep in mind that Fortnite is a completely free game, with the only purchases made by players are for in-game currency. In the end, the hype might die down, but there is true no end in sight for the popular game.
