Fortnite is an online free-to-play multi-platform video game. Tim Sweeney created this game. Epic Games Inc. launched this game in July 2017. This game is also recognized as an Esport major. It has three distinct game modes: Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Fortnite Creative.

Fortnite: Save the World

Save the World mode is a co-op 3rd person shooter tower defense game. The game was released in July 2017, in paid early access. Epic Games decided to bring it out from the paid early access and on June 29, 2020, it finally happened.

The game is a four-player squad play. One can play in a private match with friends or go solo. It also has a public match option, where one can team up with three random players. The main objective is to find a point of interest from the map and then defend it against enemies. The enemies are zombie-like creatures known as husks. The husks will try to attack the players and infiltrate the point of interest. The players have to gather resources for building defenses around the point of interest and fight against the husks.

Fortnite Battle Royale

Battle Royale is the most popular gaming mode in Fortnite. One can play this mode solo, duo, or in a four-player squad. In this mode, up to 100 players can play against each other. The main objective is to stay alive till the end.

The game begins when the players drop into an island. The players land on that island weaponless. After landing, they need to find weapons, resources, and other items to stay alive. Survival is the key here. The last team, or player, who will be surviving becomes the winner.

Fortnite Creative

Creative is a sandbox game mode. In this mode, the main objective of the players is creation. Players can design or recreate Fortnite in their own way and having their own rules. After customizing the game, it can publish it or shared with other players.

How this free-to-play game makes money and retains its ever-growing player base?

One question may arise, if Fortnite is free-to-play, then how is it making profits for Epic Games? The answer lies in the in-game purchases using V-Bucks. V-Bucks is the name given to the in-game currency. The in-game currency doesn’t affect the gameplay, which means players can play the game without making any in-game purchases. Gamers continue to pay hundreds of millions of real money each month to buy V-Bucks. Players make in-game purchases using those V-Bucks, especially to improve their characters and play in Battle Royale mode.

The business model of Fortnite

As I mentioned before, Fornite is a multi-platform video game. Players from different platforms like computers, consoles, mobile phones, etc., can play this game. Since there was no purchase fee required to play this game, the player count hits millions. This game gradually became popular among teenagers and popular celebrities as well. It became so popular even the French footballer Antoine Griezmann also uses the dance poses (emotes) of this game to celebrate his goals. The cartoon-like aesthetics of this game also attracts a huge chunk of young players.

Millions of players spend millions of money in purchasing the in-game currency V-Bucks. V-Bucks are used for buying in-game cosmetics like outfits, emotes, and Battle Passes. Battle Passes give the players a chance to unlock cosmetics, as well as V-Bucks, and many other things as well. Players after purchasing the Battle Pass need to complete few challenges to unlock those in-game rewards.

Save the World mode was previously available for players who have the paid early access. Millions of players also purchased this early access to play this mode. Sometimes there are also mysteriously attractive offers on cosmetics that will prompt the players to buy them from the in-game shop. Limited-time items are also present in the in-game shop, which disappears from the shop after a certain date and time. Everything combined helped Fortnite to generate millions of revenue per month.

Fortnite retaining its ever-growing player base

One of the major reasons behind Fortnite’s success was, it had no competitor when it was released. The concept of free-to-play and generating revenue using in-game purchases was brilliant. In terms of revenue, popular games, like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, have realistic graphics, and could not compete with Fortnite. Many players do not like buying a game and also making in-game purchases after buying. If something is free, the majority of the population will give it a try at least once. After trying, then boom, they become addicted to it. When millions of players start playing a game, the in-game purchases also increase, and so does the revenue.

Later few games, like Valorant, Apex Legends, Call of Duty Warzone, were released following the same business model. The competition is getting tougher for Fortnite. So, now a question may pop in various minds, will Fortnite be able to retain its player base? The answer to this question is definitely yes. As time progresses, Fortnite is also adapting according to the current time. Updates are coming out regularly. The majority of the population around the globe is playing Fortnite right now, and that’s not going away anytime soon. Players who have spent a lot of bucks on Fortnite will definitely continue to play the game. Players will play the game unless and until the servers are taken down. Fortnite will continue to be a popular game for a long time.

Further Reading: https://www.firstpost.com/tag/battle-royale