Is Fortnite still worth playing? Or is it dying?

Fortnite is, without a doubt, one of the most successful and iconic names to ever hit the gaming history. Its journey certainly hasn’t been easy, but it is generally regarded as one of the most relevant video games today. Developed by Epic Games, it launched in late 2017 and had surpassed 78 million players by August 2018—which is a huge feat for any video game. However, like every game, there's a peak/pinnacle to their popularity and Fortnite is near it. Things become super-popular, everyone hops on the bandwagon, and then everyone moves to the next big thing. This is a basic trend that any form of media will follow. A lot of people jump on the bandwagon of a popular form of media, and they are the first ones to leave as well.

From some bad decisions on Epic’s part to the game developing a negative image in the gaming community, today, we're going to go through the reasons behind Fortnite’s seeming decline.

- The Content Isn’t Enough

It’s often said about games like Minecraft that there is an infinite amount of things to do. Each time a player logs into Minecraft they’re presented with an insane amount of options. Mod packs, special servers, local servers, single-player, LAN connections, etc.

Fortnite just doesn’t have that breadth of content available. It’s pretty easy to see from reactions to the content announcements on Twitter that players are getting frustrated by the lack of content.

If Fortnite is struggling to keep people interested, how long is it going to last? Remember, the point isn’t to say that the game is dead, just that it seems to be dying. The question is, what could this do to Epic and its fledgling storefront?

- Have there been bad decisions on Epic Games’ part?

It’s a well-known fact that Epic Games hasn’t always executed the things with the community in mind. Things such as :

• Removing siphon (a mechanic that rewarded health/shield on killing an enemy)

• Promoting the fad of “OG” skins

• Or even failing to regulate the loot pool.

Most of these negative changes were in Chapter 1 of course, the worst ones being items that were downright broken.:

• A mech-robot was added with 1000 HP and rockets that damaged through structures.

• Planes were broken when they first released.

• Proximity grenade launchers dealt 70 damage without even hitting the player (I remember “sniping” someone with it from across a mountain, it was crazy).

• Junk rifts destroyed 100% of all structures in a small area.

• Combat shotguns dealt insane amounts of damage from a distance.

• And last but not least, the Infinity Blade. Let's just say that this one was OP to the max.

Is there is a thing such as “too popular”?

Absolutely. We live in a digital world. When the game reached its peak around mid-2018, content creation for the game exploded on YouTube and Twitch. The problem arises when it gets click-baited and exaggerated. It spreads on social media so much that people who don’t play the game feel like it’s being shoved in their faces. Naturally, they form a negative association with the game. This has definitely happened with Fortnite. Right from advertisements for Twitch Prime skins to popular talk shows hosting Fortnite players, a lot of people who either dislike the game or do not play it, felt the full brunt of the game’s overexposure. This exhaustion can turn into a form of dislike pretty quickly.

Verdict: Is Fortnite in a dying state?

We don’t have too long of an attention span. Moreover, game developers can’t cater to everyone’s tastes. Games get popular and they lose popularity, but Fortnite is going pretty… well so far. The only difference is that it has gone from that game that exploded and had 78 million players to a steady but a still very successful game. In fact, the player base is a lot more skilled and invested in the game than before. The thing about Fortnite is that it’s unique enough that it isn’t threatened by other games. The building mechanics being in a Battle Royale is one of its biggest strengths, along with it starting the trend of Battle Passes that pay you back. Add to that its cartoonish graphics, regular updates, and how fun it is just to view a Fortnite match—it’s here to stay for a long time!