WHAT IS FORTNITE?
Fortnite is an online video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in three
distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: Fortnite Battle
Royale, a free-to-play battle royale game in which up to 100 players fight to be the last person standing;
Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative hybrid tower defense-shooter and survival game in which up to four
players fight off zombie-like creatures and defend objects with traps and fortifications they can build; and
Fortnite Creative, in which players are given complete freedom to create worlds and battle arenas.
FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE
Near the same time that Epic released Fortnite into early access, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds had become a
worldwide phenomenon, having sold over 5 million copies three months from its March 2017 release, and
drawing strong interest in the battle royale genre. Epic recognized that with the Fortnite base game, they
could also do a battle royale mode, and rapidly developed their own version atop Fortnite in about two
months. By September 2017, Epic was ready to release this as a second mode from "Save the World" in the
paid-for earlier access, but then later decided to release it as a free game, Fortnite Battle Royale,
supported with microtransactions. This version quickly gained players, with over 10 million players during
its first two weeks of release, and leading Epic to create separate teams to continue the Fortnite Battle
Royale development apart from the Save the World version, outside of common engine elements and art assets.
This allowed Fortnite Battle Royale to expand to other platforms otherwise not supported by Save the World,
including iOS and Android mobile devices and the Nintendo Switch.
FORTNITE CREATIVE
A creative sandbox mode launched on December 6, 2018, synchronized with the start of season 7 of Fortnite
Battle Royale. Each player has access to a private, persistent island on which they construct buildings and
add and manipulate objects as desired. Players are able to invite friends to this island and participate in
unofficial games such as race tracks or jumping courses. Only players who purchased the battle pass
initially received their own island, but a week later, on December 13, players who did not purchase it
received access to the game mode for free.
