Fortnite currently boasts over 650 million registered players, with more than 230 million actively playing every month. Fortnite continues to attract players with constant updates, lag-free gameplay, and engaging weekly content updates.
Gaming communities like YouTubers and social media influencers provide a welcoming platform for new gamers, showing them how to play the game and helping to develop their skills.
Battle Royale
The battle royale game genre has quickly taken the world by storm. Featuring a last-man-standing competition against hundreds of competitors in an ever-shrinking play area, Battle Royale has captured players around the world’s imagination.
This concept first found its way into games through mods for titles like DayZ and ARMA in the early 2010s, before going mainstream following Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds release in 2017 and Fortnite two years later.
Epic Games’ revolutionary take on the genre, blending building mechanics and intense gunfights into their gameplay experience, quickly won them an army of loyal followers. To keep its competitive edge while providing engaging experiences for casual players alike, Limited Time Modes (LTMs) have further broadened its audience reach.
Fortnite as a Multi-Game Ecosystem
Far from being just another one-trick pony that depends on an occasional game update for player engagement, Fortnite has grown into a vibrant hub for user-generated content creation. Tim Sweeney stated in his statement on layoffs that Fortnite’s return to growth had been driven by creator content—an indication of Epic Games’ dedication to building this ecosystem.
This platform’s ability to engage millions at once makes it an ideal location for brand experiences. Over 10 million players tuned into Marshmello’s concert this year inside the game; Sony Music also recently collaborated with Travis Scott to deliver similar experiences through Sony.
Epic Gaming reported at its State of Unreal event this year that islands created by other creators account for approximately 40% of total playback, which explains why they pledged more revenue sharing with these creators.
Creative Mode
In creative mode, players have unlimited resources and can fly around a standard map freely. It also hosts many of the game’s humorous glitches, such as one that allows others to fire rockets at them!
The Pretty Scary update brought a host of improvements to Creative, including an overhauled inventory system that displays most blocks and items (with some exceptions) in a tabbed interface. A player’s regular inventory cannot be displayed simultaneously with the creative inventory but can be shrunk down to show alongside it.
Creative does not currently allow players to directly break blocks for resource items, with the exception of skulker boxes and beehives that spawn silverfish. However, players can still interact with these blocks by placing swords, flints, or steel in their hands.
Seasonal Events
Seasonal events infuse players’ experiences with themed lore and challenges designed to engage them, creating a euphoria of urgency with exclusive rewards as the clock counts down for participation.
The Blast Off Event, in which a rocket ship launched into Loot Lake from space to create a crack on its map, was one of Fortnite’s most memorable seasonal events and an instant hit on social media platforms like TikTok.
The Marshmello Live Concert was an unforgettable experience for his fans. This EDM musician delivered an interactive show, including holograms of characters from video games.
Community Engagement
Community engagement is an approach to creating and maintaining relationships that benefit all parties involved, through outreach and communication efforts, education initiatives, and collaborative relationships. Community engagement may mean different things to different people and in different settings; its definition may also vary accordingly.
Fortnite’s removal of its building mechanic has caused much debate in its fan base. Some players fear this move will alienate casual gamers, decreasing popularity. Conversely, others think that eliminating building mechanics will highlight the significance of movement and aim skills in Fortnite.
This evidences the value of having various engagement methods available, which enables organisations to tailor their approach based on each community’s particular characteristics and needs. As a result, this helps develop more effective long-term relationships between stakeholders.