Last weekend was the launch of a new season of Fortnite, and for the first time in several years, I didn’t jump off the battle bus as soon as the servers reopened. Sad proof that my love for this Battle Royale is fragmenting more and more, I who saw it, at the height of its golden age, give cold sweats to LoL, CoD and all the biggest franchises of the video game history. Because that was it, Fortnite at its prime: a phenomenon of incredible power, which has gone far beyond the framework of video games. It blew footballers away, it turned gamers into top-1 machines, and it freaked out parents everywhere.
But today, I have the terrible impression that Fortnite is only a shadow of itself. Not at all a”dead game“, as its fiercest haters chant, but a game in decline. Jonesy, if you’re around, it’s time to do something about it.
Fortnite esports swept under the rug
In the realm of big service games, Fortnite could have reigned supreme in the field of esports. The Battle Royale had all the keys in hand to play elbows with League of Legends and its sacrosanct “Worlds”, but it is clear that Epic Games abandoned this fight a long time ago. Being a big esports fan, it affects me a bit. That said, I understand the point of view of the publisher, who has chosen to embrace the community of casual gamers and players, and to abandon the competitors, by placing himself in the niche of fun rather than that of tryhard. .
It must be said that combining “fun content” and “integrated competition” is mission impossible on Fortnite. The Battle Royale is based on frequent patches, which each time bring fun features and crazy objects. And now I can turn into a Splatoon-style chromatic liquid, and now I’m riding boars, or I’m one-shot enemies with a lightsaber… For pro players, this fun turns into a nightmare. Especially since the publisher has never been very keen on balancing weapons, or fixing bugs that affected competitive lobbies.
To drive the point home; a Fortnite game is very difficult (not to say impossible) to follow and enjoy when you are a simple spectator. 100 players building at top speed is a bit too much action for even a seasoned esports fan to digest.
Race results: Fortnite’s esports ecosystem is at an all-time low. The great iconic players have (almost) all retired, blaming the immobility of Epic Games and the lack of structuring of the competitive circuits. But this breathlessness of Fortnite esports alone cannot explain the decline of the game, which is always on top in terms of fun content. The answer lies elsewhere.
The largest showcase in the world
Fortnite has no equal when it comes to setting up XXL partnerships with the biggest franchises in pop culture. In fact, it’s kind of become his livelihood. It doesn’t go a fortnight without Fortnite offering DBZ, Naruto, Star Wars, Marvel, Halo, Rick and Morty, Batman skins… And I could go on for pages and pages.
Except that 5 years later, we would almost get tired of these regular collabs. Yes Fortnite, you have the power to integrate all the big names in geek culture into your universe, we get it. But it would be a question of changing discs, because the hype generated by these collabs’ is only very ephemeral. So yes, making top 1 with a Kamehameha and shooting an AK47 with the Goku skin is fun. But it does not retain the playerbase forever.
In recent months, I have the impression that this economic model of collaboration is reaching its limits. the lore “made in” Fortnite is drowned in a sea of crossovers, which have become so commonplace year after year that they barely tickle me.
Waiting for the big electroshock
Like many other players, I am now waiting for a big banger. A huge thing, as Epic knows how to do (and it has done in the past). The publisher’s last big feat dates back to October 2019, when Fortnite disappeared into a Black Hole for more than 24 hours. But since then, Fortnite has struggled to reconnect with its hype of yesteryear.
It seems inconceivable to me that Epic Games let the enthusiasm for its flagship game die down. I call for a real revival for the Battle Royale. Something that will far transcend ordinary season debuts. And I know I’m not the only one. Back to the original map, creative mode 2.0, or even the birth of a Fortnite metaverse… Epic Games has the firepower (and the financial strength) to surprise us, and to restore Fortnite to its former glory. But the clock is ticking, and the editor can’t waste any more time. I have been convinced for two years now that “this season is the right one!”, and that something crazy is going to happen on the island. In vain.
What if the brand new season 4 was actually the last of chapter 3? We would then be entitled to a brand new card before Christmas. This seemingly wacky theory recently got fleshed out after dataminers collected some pretty compelling clues.