Fortnite
The latest Fortnite news and reviews on the online game developed by Epic Games.
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'Fortnite' players are having too much fun with Playground mode
Fortnite's Playground mode might have been designed as a testing ground for newcomers, but that hasn't stopped players with irrepressible creative streaks from constructing things that are a little more niche. From Nintendo 64 monoliths and Mario Kart racing tracks to giant galleons, 8-bit Links and a gorgeous Loot Lake re-imagining, there's a plethora of inspiring content to behold.
'Fortnite' video contest asks gamers to make their own superhero movie
Consider yourself a budding director? Epic Games is inviting all Fortnite Battle Royale players to participate in an original filmmaking challenge. It involves using the Replay system to create a blockbuster-worthy highlights reel featuring Season 4's heroes, and promises a tempting line-up of rewards for successful applicants. Fortnite's 5th season might begin on July 12, but Epic's contest feels like a natural progression of Season 4's dancing challenge. In week 2, you might remember needing to ostentatiously swing your hips in front of cameras at different locations across the map. The rules are a bit more stringent this time around -- videos need to be between one and five minutes, use royalty free audio, and possess enough creativity and originality to capture Epic's attention -- but the bounty is handsome. Grand prize winners receive the honor of having their film screened at the meteoric Risky Reels drive-in. They also collect 25,000 V-Bucks and a poster of their film gets immortalized in the game. Epic is stretching its generosity out to five finalists who'll receive 10,000 V-Bucks as a consolation prize. If you think you've got what it takes, the Fortnite Blockbuster contest runs until July 11, 11:59PM ET. Epic said it'll announce the victors on July 24. For those who are more eSports-inclined, there's also the upcoming Fortnite competitions, which have an abundant tournament prize pool up for grabs.
Delayed 'Fortnite' Playground practice mode is finally online
If you've been excited about Fortnite's new four-player practice mode, you're in luck. It looks as if Epic brought Playgrounds online Monday evening after a short delay due to technical issues.
That 'Fortnite' cheating app is probably hiding malware
Malware writers and scammers love to exploit demand for popular games to ensnare unwitting victims, and that's truer than ever for a near-ubiquitous game like Fortnite. Rainway has discovered malicious Windows adware hiding in a cheat that promised both an aimbot and free in-game V-Bucks. Install it and it immediately alters Windows to serve its own rogue ads, creating a man-in-the-middle attack (with Rainway as an unwitting participant) by loading its own root certificate and routing all internet traffic through a proxy.
After Math: Huge hamster balls
While the Overwatch community debated this week as to whether or not Top Gear's Richard Hammond could actually fit inside the Hammond the Hamster's mech (hint: yes he can, with room to spare), there was no shortage of news throughout the rest of the gaming industry. Alexa got its own board game, ToeJam and Earl are slated to return to consoles this fall, and Fortnite -- for one gloriously brief moment -- opened a tutorial sandbox for its neophyte players.
'Fortnite' is hosting a mysterious live event this weekend
Fortnite's Playground might be on hold for now, but there will be something to captivate your attention in the near future. Epic Games has been teasing some kind of one-time event in the game's battle royale mode on June 30th at 1:30PM Eastern, with strange sounds from its supervillain stronghold (which holds a rocket) and countdowns on in-game TV screens signalling that something is happening. The developer has been quiet, but pro streamer Muselk has hinted that players will want to be in the vicinity of the rocket at the specified time to see "something big" -- many people suspect a rocket launch.
‘Fortnite’ Playground mode can’t come fast enough
When Epic Games announced that Fortnite was getting a sandbox for novice players to feel their way into the game, I was overjoyed. Playground is a dummy version of the map where four players can just noodle around for an hour at a time. Resource limits are relaxed, too, so you can just learn how the game plays, test strategies and get some all-important practice.
'PUBG' creators drop lawsuit over 'Fortnite' battle royale mode
If you were hoping PUBG Corp's lawsuit against Epic Games over Fortnite would be a knock-down drag-out fight to determine which battle royale game emerges triumphant... well, you'll be disappointed. The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds developer has dropped the South Korean lawsuit, which alleged that Epic was imitating its interface and in-game items through Fortnite's Battle Royale mode. PUBG declined to explain the reason for the change of heart (we've asked Epic for comment), but there are a few potential candidates.
Sony looking for ‘solution’ to PS4 cross-play woes
Fortnite is great in that it lets people play together no matter what platform they're using. Except, that is, for PS4. Sure, PlayStation fans can link up with buddies on mobile, Mac or PC, but playing with friends who have a Nintendo Switch or Xbox One is not possible right now. Even logging into your account to play Fortnite on PS4 once means you're blocked from using it on Switch; you'll need a new account to keep playing on Nintendo's hybrid console.
'Fortnite' gets a four-player Playground practice mode
Fortnite: Battle Royale is relentless and unforgiving, affording players no time before 99 other wannabe champions set their sights on each other. In fact, the fast-paced action is one of the biggest barriers for new players -- people rarely have time to get to grips with the game's building mechanics and varying weapon types before they're set upon. Epic Games previously teased that it would introduce a new way for players to practice away from the main island. Playground Mode has arrived as part of today's v4.5 update, giving players a much-needed way to hone their skills before taking them onto the battlefield.
'Fortnite' could partially lose the one thing that makes it unique
To build, or not to build? In 2011, Epic Games took a gamble on an unconventional survival shooter called Fortnite. The far-reaching maps and signature weaponry were all there in the main game, but a new breed of battle royale would shake up the genre's foundations by centering on construction mechanics. Perhaps unbeknownst to Epic at the time, that subtle innovation would pay off -- massively. Following the launch of its free battle royale mode last year, Fortnite has gone from fledgling beta to record-breaking cash cow. But right in the midst of its explosive popularity, Epic seems keen on shaking up the Fortnite formula again -- and top streamers aren't exactly thrilled.
New York Knicks top pick wore a 'Fortnite' suit to the draft
Last night the (real, not 2K League) NBA Draft took over the Barclays Center in New York, and once again, Fortnite was on display. Considering the age of most top picks it's not surprising the game has fans among players, but Kevin Knox took his tribute to the next level by putting the game's logo on the inner lining of his suit jacket. He won't be the only player in the league by far, as guys like Andre Drummond and Kenneth Faried showed up for the E3 Pro-Am event, Celtics player Gordon Hayward was streaming the game last season while recovering from a broken leg, and Knox has already been getting games in with number one draft pick Deandre Ayton. Knox ended up going number nine to the New York Knicks and (as is customary) was booed by the crowd in his new home city. Hopefully, he and star player Kristaps Porzingis can work on their chemistry by playing duos until Porzingis returns from a torn ACL.
'Fortnite' marks World Cup with stadium and goal scoring challenges
You didn't think Epic Games would let a sporting event as momentous as the World Cup go by without a Fortnite tie-in, did you? Sure enough, the developer has made a slew of updates to mark the beautiful game's most important tournament. There's now a hard-to-miss stadium map, and your weekly challenges now include scoring goals on fields across the island. And naturally, there's plenty of themed items to buy with your spare V-Bucks.
'Fortnite' on Switch still holds up against Xbox One X version
If you're a Fortnite gamer who wants to play on the go, you've got two options. Either deal with touchscreen interface on the title's mobile port, or grab the recently released Switch version of the multiplayer Battle Royale shooter. Regardless, you'll likely encounter some visual downgrades if you've been playing on a high-end console or PC. Digital Foundry has created a video to compare the differences between Fortnite on the Switch and the game on an Xbox One X to suss out what, exactly, that means.
PlayerUnknown believes ‘PUBG’ doesn’t need to beat ‘Fortnite’
Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene is in an unenviable position at the moment. His namesake game, PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds was the surprise hit of 2017, going from being an obscure work-in-progress game in Steam's Early Access section to racking up over $60 million in sales in mere months, averaging 2 million daily players on PC and getting a console port via the Xbox One -- all before it hit version 1.0. By all accounts, it looked like the game's continued success was guaranteed. Then Fortnite: Battle Royale happened. This week, Fortnite developer Epic Games announced that in just nine months time, its free-to-play spin on battle royale had accrued 125 million players. (Weeks earlier, PUBG's parent company sued Epic for alleged copyright violations.) But Fortnite isn't the only competition for PUBG. Giants of the FPS world like Call of Duty and Battlefield have announced they're joining the fray, and others will surely follow. Greene couldn't talk about the pending lawsuit, for obvious legal reasons, but when I spoke to him at E3 this week he was candid about the competition and his team's plans to differentiate PUBG from everyone else. Oh and to get this out of the way up front, don't expect PUBG to go free-to-play any time soon. Greene said that the team hadn't discussed it "at all." This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Sony issues non-response to ‘Fortnite’ cross-play woes on Switch
Fortnite diehards would have been undoubtedly jubilant at the E3 announcement that the battle royale hit had come to Nintendo Switch. Its arrival was even blessed with the inclusion of native voice-chat. Yes, things were peachy until hopeful players tried logging into their Epic Games account on PlayStation 4, and realized they couldn't use their existing Epic accounts to access the game. Even though Sony wasn't directly involved in Fortnite's Switch launch, the company still had a say over how the game could be played.
‘Fortnite’ E3 tournament was a taste of its esports future
As Fortnite continues to suck in gamers by the millions, Epic Games has worked hard to keep the game fresh and entertaining, whether players are dropping in for the first or thousandth time. But behind the scenes it's also putting the finishing touches on its plans for turning Fortnite into a competitive sport. Last month, it committed more than $100 million into Fortnite tournament prize pools and announced its first official esports event: the Fortnite Pro-Am. Popular streamers and YouTubers -- with backgrounds in PUBG, League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty and, of course, Fortnite -- joined actors, sports stars and musicians at E3 for a 50-team, 100-person battle royale. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the biggest personality in competitive esports right now (helps when you stream with hip-hop megastar Drake), buddied up with EDM DJ Marshmello, and YouTuber Ali-A joined Fall Out Boy singer Pete Wentz while professional gamer Gotaga was accompanied by UFC fighter Demetrious Johnson in a bid to win a $3 million charity prize pool.
Epic lines up its first 'Fortnite' World Cup for late 2019
During a break before the prize round of its star-studded Fortnite Pro-Am tournament at E3 2018, Epic Games announced some information about the first Fortnite World Cup. As a cap for the 2018-2019 competitive season where it's dishing out $100 million in prizes across various tournaments, the 2019 Fortnite World Cup will begin with qualifier events that take place worldwide later this year, where the company says anyone -- and with over 125 million registered players just a year into its existence, they mean anyone -- can play and win. Details on a Code of Conduct, platform info and schedule are still TBA, but what we do know is that while there will be some squad competition, the World Cup's focus is on Solo and Duo play. Also, traditional eSports powerhouses may take a backseat, as Epic announced that unlike some other competitions it will not sell teams or franchises and that it won't allow third-party tournaments to do so either. While you wait for more info you can tune in to the Pro-Am stream, which at the time of this writing has over 700,000 live viewers on the official streams (across Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, Mixer and Twitter) watching people like Ninja, Myth, Paul George and Pete Wentz playing in pairs to win $1 million for various charities.
'Fortnite' for Switch thankfully includes native voice chat
The newly released Fortnite for Switch includes a pleasant surprise: there's built-in voice chat. Where Splatoon 2 forces you to use Nintendo's not-so-elegant Switch Online mobile app for voice, Epic Games has confirmed that you can plug any old headset into the console's headphone jack to coordinate with your Fortnite squad. The feature isn't active as we write this, but it should turn on as of June 14th.
'Fortnite' for Switch doesn't support PlayStation-linked accounts
If you're like many gamers, you rushed to download Fortnite for Switch as soon as it came out -- finally, console-quality battle royale on the road! You may be in for a crushing disappointment if you play on PS4, though. Players have discovered that the Switch version of Fortnite dosn't let you sign in with an Epic Games account linked to PSN, while Switch-first players can't sign in to the PS4 version. Sony's ban on cross-console play appears to be the likely reason, but it's particularly irksome here as this doesn't involve gameplay -- Sony won't even let you carry progress over to a competing product.
