"Fortnite: Battle Royale" is a survival game in which a hundred players battle it out individually or in teams of up to four, until only one team remains. Developed by Epic Games, the game allows people to fight with weapons like guns and grenades and collect materials that they can use to build protective structures. Starting out in July 2017 as a player-vs.-computer game now called "Fortnite: Save the World," the multiplayer version was released as a free-to-play in September 2017. The plot of the series is loosely based on the "Hunger Games" novels: one day, 98% of the Earth's population suddenly disappears and the remaining people have to fend for themselves against zombies falling from the sky and other survivors who hunt and kill.

Similar to 'PUBG'

"Fortnite: BR" is inspired by another game of the battle royale genre: "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds." "PUBG" also starts off with a hundred combatants that enter a last man standing death match, with each player required to scavenge the map for weapons and armor. Both games shrink down the "safe" area as time passes, forcing participants to get closer to each other and kill those who spend too long outside the safe zone. "PUBG" was a huge success when it was first released in March 2017. However, recently, "BR" has overtaken "PUBG" in Twitch viewership: it went from 45,719 average daily viewers in December to 152,486 in March, while the other game's viewership fell from 109,498 to 56,619 over the same duration.

Reasons for popularity

"BR" is different from "PUBG" in a number of ways and it is these differences that have made the game famous. "BR" has been free and available on PC and all major gaming consoles from the beginning as opposed to the $30 price tag that "PUBG" comes with, as well as late support for the Xbox and none for the PlayStation.

It also has more of a cartoon art style, reminiscent of "Overwatch," another highly popular shooter released in 2016.

Perhaps the biggest reason for its popularity is that "BR" contains pop culture references in its gameplay. People can use real money to buy virtual costumes (these are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay) that resemble characters from movies like "Guardians of the Galaxy" as well as perform trendy dance moves during the game.

All of this results in a more enjoyable playing and watching experience, especially for the younger demographic. "BR" currently has over 40 million players worldwide and makes most of its money through its in-game costumes. With a record-breaking 3.4 million players at a time, one can be sure that "BR" is making some serious money right now.
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