Why is Fortnite so Popular and Addictive?

One year ago, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds came out of nowhere and quickly became the hottest competitive video game. Fast forward to 2018, and while millions of people enjoy PUBG on a daily basis, Fortnite: Battle Royale is without question the bigger game. It seems like everyone currently plays or has at least checked out Epic Game’s 100-person free-for-all. In fact, the game is so huge that over 600,000 people watched rap superstar Drake play it alongside famous streamer, Ninja, and even more recently the UMBC men’s basketball team credited Fortnite for being one of the reasons why they upset the number one seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA basketball tournament.

The game is a global phenomenon, but why is Fortnite so popular? And the better question might be, why is Fortnite more popular than PUBG with competitive players? How did that even happen? Below are several reasons why Fortnite is so incredibly huge, in addition to being lots of fun.

Fortnite is Free 

For some people, the argument for Fortnite versus PUBG begins and ends right here. Fortnite Battle Royale is free-to-play while PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds still costs $29.99 on Steam and Xbox One. Although it’s tough to beat the low price of zero dollars, however, the fact that Fortnite is free does not tell the whole story for why it’s the biggest video game on the planet.

Fortnite is Multi-Platform 

Outside of the Nintendo Switch, and we still think Fortnite will come out on Switch eventually, you can download and play Fortnite on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, so long as you score an invite and upgrade to iOS11. Releasing the game on this many platforms means that it is accessible to millions of people who already own the hardware and want to play competitively against their friends.

Fortnite is Accessible 

Fortnite is a difficult game. It takes plenty of skill and perhaps some luck to be the last person standing, but you can still achieve success without winning matches. If you can play third person shooters, you can play Fortnite Battle Royale, even with touchscreen controls on the iPhone. This anyone-can-pick-up-and-play nature of the game boosts its popularity.

Fortnite has Famous Influencers 

Plenty of celebrities play video games, but it seems like famous people go out of their way to gush over Fortnite. Drake and Chance the Rapper are at the top of the list, but then you have fellow musician Joe Jonas, Josh Hart on the LA Lakers (the man has Fortnite shoes), and JuJu Smith-Schuster on the Pittsburgh Steelers. You also have people who may or may not play Fortnite, but still want to associate themselves with the game, like comedians Roseanne Barr and Norm Macdonald.  For all we know, Epic Games spent a bit of cash on these celebrities to silently market the game, but we don’t think this is the case. People love Fortnite, they play it all of the time, and they want everyone to know about it. What’s happening is largely organic and ultimately great for the video game. 

Fortnite is Stream Worthy

Part of what makes Fortnite so much fun is the fact that it’s highly competitive and unique each time that you play Battle Royale. Matches feel unique in the sense that you don’t know which player(s) you’ll encounter first and where. Every match is unique, and the lack of substantial plot and voice acting means that streamers can tell their own stories and create personas that viewers find entertaining. 

Fortnite has Cartoon Violence 

The fact that Fortnite resembles more of a cartoon than its rivals (PUBG specifically) means that it will appeal to a wider amount of people and probably get the nod from parents who closely monitor what their kids play. Blood and graphic dismemberment would have put it in the M-rated crowd. That T for Teen rating definitely plays a role in its success; for the record, PUBG is also rated T. 

Fortnite has a Foundation 

Fortnite Battle Royale is still relatively new, but there is a version that preceded it. Epic released the original Fortnite in July 2017 to mostly positive reviews. Gamers praised it for offering a quality PvE experience. Granted, this paid-for version didn’t take off like Battle Royale, but Epic had something good to work from, and plenty of people were familiar with it by the time Battle Royale appeared.

Why do you think Fortnite is so popular? Let us know in the comments!

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