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.exe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,219
Cool. I've launched it once, said "yup, that's Fortnite," and never launched it again.
 

Deleted member 33

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 24, 2017
1,457
It was smart to make it available for download right after their E3 show. And it being free also plays a major role.
 

Shadow

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,107
I have at least 7 or so people who play it regularly on my friends list, and I only have 15-20 people on it. About half are Japanese players too. One guy has 530 hours haha.
 

JonnyDBrit

God and Anime
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,016
It was smart to make it available for download right after their E3 show. And it being free also plays a major role.

Add in the portability, and there was a clear pull factor to be immediately exploited by that sheer level of publicity. While I've subsequently moved it to my PC, it's how I started playing the game because... well... why not?
 

BlacJack

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,021
Proud to be in the other half. I will never understand how this game got so big. Well actually I have kids so I do understand. The dances.
 

Skittzo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,037
isn't a bit low though? I don't see how they can ship 10+ millions this quarter if there are 4m still around

Nah I would assume it's a pretty typical number for the end of Q2. Like, when the Wii was having 10M+ Q3s I'm willing to bet there were a lot of shipped but unsold consoles sitting in warehouses waiting for the holiday season at the end of Q2.

I'd imagine a majority of these numbers came before Nintendo started charging for online.

Free to play games do not require an online subscription, so the two have literally nothing to do with each other.
 
Oct 27, 2017
3,297
Nah I would assume it's a pretty typical number for the end of Q2. Like, when the Wii was having 10M+ Q3s I'm willing to bet there were a lot of shipped but unsold consoles sitting in warehouses waiting for the holiday season at the end of Q2.



Free to play games do not require an online subscription, so the two have literally nothing to do with each other.

Fair enough, but the game being the free to play flavor of the month definitely has helped it.
 

DarkPrince

Member
Dec 2, 2017
1,053
1 was me, promptly deleted it after 2 matches. A more interesting stat would be how many stayed after downloading it.
 

BlacJack

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,021
that or the fact that it's actually a really fun game?

Not saying it isn't, but it being a good game doesn't explain why it is so much popular than the many other good games out there. The biggest games typically appeal to children in some way as well as adults. The dances are more viral than the game, and everytime you see them everyone now knows where they are from. It's insane that every school event now features these dances, and most teachers/parents don't play the game. It isn't the gameplay that made this game spread to mainstream so massively.
 

udllpn

Member
Oct 28, 2017
152
That is a very impressive number, considering the huge number of alternatives available on the market.
 

Jedeye Sniv

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,327
Should have gone with that second bullet point for the OP. "With Nintendo Switch(tm), the Game Can Be Played On the Go!"

I jumped on it too and played a whole season, I thought the switch had a great mix of being a good console for it in general plus a lot of kids playing to donk on. I was wrong on the second point, ouch!
 

dlauv

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,513
Not saying it isn't, but it being a good game doesn't explain why it is so much popular than the many other good games out there. The biggest games typically appeal to children in some way as well as adults. The dances are more viral than the game, and everytime you see them everyone now knows where they are from. It's insane that every school event now features these dances, and most teachers/parents don't play the game. It isn't the gameplay that made this game spread to mainstream so massively.

It's the gameplay for a major part, since it's basically PUBG but free, far more polished, and on consoles; and, we all know how PUBG started blowing up. Fortnite just took the wind out of its sails, and you're catching the Battle Royale craze. CoD just joined in with Black Ops 4.

The aesthetics are very kid friendly tho, no doubt.
 
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Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
Not saying it isn't, but it being a good game doesn't explain why it is so much popular than the many other good games out there. The biggest games typically appeal to children in some way as well as adults. The dances are more viral than the game, and everytime you see them everyone now knows where they are from. It's insane that every school event now features these dances, and most teachers/parents don't play the game. It isn't the gameplay that made this game spread to mainstream so massively.
it's a really fun and surprisingly well-made game that's absolutely free on just about every platform under the sun, with the f2p microtransactions being strictly for cosmetics - meaning that you don't have to spend a dime to play everything the game has to offer. that's why it's blown up and why so many kids have latched on to it - there's barely any barriers to play the damned thing and once you do it's actually good. the game got popular first because of the reasons above, then came all of the emotes that epic added in. it's understandable that then the younger portion of the user base found enjoyment in that on top of the game itself. it isn't just popular 'because of the dances'.

whilst not aimed towards you, this whole 'i'm too good for fortnite' sentiment that i see on here and on other websites carries the same insecure logic found in comments that denounce nintendo games for being just 'toys for kids'. just cos kids have latched onto a game after-the-fact doesn't then mean that the game doesn't have anything to offer to anyone else. fortnite's a surprisingly competitive online game with two sets of separate mechanics that require a decent level of mastery in order to get consistently good at - that shit's appealing to a lot of people regardless of the aesthetic and 'dances'. it reminds me very much of the backlash towards a similarly well designed and widely available game that came out about 6 years ago just because kids found enjoyment in that too. it's obnoxious as fuck.
 

RunJumpStomp

Member
Aug 12, 2018
50
it's a really fun and surprisingly well-made game that's absolutely free on just about every platform under the sun, with the f2p microtransactions being strictly for cosmetics - meaning that you don't have to spend a dime to play everything the game has to offer. that's why it's blown up and why so many kids have latched on to it - there's barely any barriers to play the damned thing and once you do it's actually good. the game got popular first because of the reasons above, then came all of the emotes that epic added in. it's understandable that then the younger portion of the user base found enjoyment in that on top of the game itself. it isn't just popular 'because of the dances'.

whilst not aimed towards you, this whole 'i'm too good for fortnite' sentiment that i see on here and on other websites carries the same insecure logic found in comments that denounce nintendo games for being just 'toys for kids'. just cos kids have latched onto a game after-the-fact doesn't then mean that the game doesn't have anything to offer to anyone else. fortnite's a surprisingly competitive online game with two sets of separate mechanics that require a decent level of mastery in order to get consistently good at - that shit's appealing to a lot of people regardless of the aesthetic and 'dances'. it reminds me very much of the backlash towards a similarly well designed and widely available game that came out about 6 years ago just because kids found enjoyment in that too. it's obnoxious as fuck.

This is 100% exactly right.
 

Blackpuppy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,194
it's a really fun and surprisingly well-made game that's absolutely free on just about every platform under the sun, with the f2p microtransactions being strictly for cosmetics - meaning that you don't have to spend a dime to play everything the game has to offer. that's why it's blown up and why so many kids have latched on to it - there's barely any barriers to play the damned thing and once you do it's actually good. the game got popular first because of the reasons above, then came all of the emotes that epic added in. it's understandable that then the younger portion of the user base found enjoyment in that on top of the game itself. it isn't just popular 'because of the dances'.

whilst not aimed towards you, this whole 'i'm too good for fortnite' sentiment that i see on here and on other websites carries the same insecure logic found in comments that denounce nintendo games for being just 'toys for kids'. just cos kids have latched onto a game after-the-fact doesn't then mean that the game doesn't have anything to offer to anyone else. fortnite's a surprisingly competitive online game with two sets of separate mechanics that require a decent level of mastery in order to get consistently good at - that shit's appealing to a lot of people regardless of the aesthetic and 'dances'. it reminds me very much of the backlash towards a similarly well designed and widely available game that came out about 6 years ago just because kids found enjoyment in that too. it's obnoxious as fuck.

Preach.

What's up with all this old man yelling at clouds mentality?
 
Nov 14, 2017
4,928
I downloaded and was about to try it, but then I saw all the terrible stuff about Sony refusing to allow cross progression. And considering my main consoles are the Switch and PS4, I didn't want to risk my stuff getting locked.
They changed that recently, you can now use your Epic account on any device and play with people on any other device. I've actually played Fortnite on Switch with friends on PS4 when I've not been able to access PSN, and it works OK. If you play handheld mode you can use a regular headset with microphone and use in game chat to speak to each other.

Not saying it isn't, but it being a good game doesn't explain why it is so much popular than the many other good games out there. The biggest games typically appeal to children in some way as well as adults. The dances are more viral than the game, and everytime you see them everyone now knows where they are from. It's insane that every school event now features these dances, and most teachers/parents don't play the game. It isn't the gameplay that made this game spread to mainstream so massively.

I think it is. If you think back to the original Quake, even back then they were talking about how they wanted full destruction and deformation. Obviously the technology wasn't up to it back then, but now we are at a point where games can have 100 players with construction and destruction happening all in one instance. It's basically an idea who's time has come, and Epic nailed it.

The art and design being cartoonish and having broad appeal certainly helps things, but at the core Fortnite is a really fun and engaging game and that's why people keep going back to it. Being free and on PS4 is probably the main reason why it spread so quickly though.
 
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BlacJack

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,021
whilst not aimed towards you, this whole 'i'm too good for fortnite' sentiment that i see on here and on other websites carries the same insecure logic found in comments that denounce nintendo games for being just 'toys for kids'. just cos kids have latched onto a game after-the-fact doesn't then mean that the game doesn't have anything to offer to anyone else. fortnite's a surprisingly competitive online game with two sets of separate mechanics that require a decent level of mastery in order to get consistently good at - that shit's appealing to a lot of people regardless of the aesthetic and 'dances'. it reminds me very much of the backlash towards a similarly well designed and widely available game that came out about 6 years ago just because kids found enjoyment in that too. it's obnoxious as fuck.

I'm not implying the game is "just" for kids. I'm saying the huge games tend to have a strong appeal to them as well as being great games, like Minecraft or any Nintendo game really. And speaking for myself, I don't think I'm "too good" for Fortnite, I just don't enjoy it, else I'd play the hell out of it with my son. It's just not my type of game. The game takes skill sure, but not the sort of skill I like. I tend to prefer smaller numbers or 1v1 style games to reduce the cluster and random scenarios. It's why I prefer Siege to Battlefield, etc.

I see that same sentiment posted a lot on this forum about people calling those who don't like Fortnite "insecure" etc. Like people aren't allowed to not like it or something. Me saying Fortnite has broader appeal because of childish things does not take away from the gameplay it does have. I also see that reaction as an insecure sort of reaction.
 

Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
I'm not implying the game is "just" for kids. I'm saying the huge games tend to have a strong appeal to them as well as being great games, like Minecraft or any Nintendo game really. And speaking for myself, I don't think I'm "too good" for Fortnite, I just don't enjoy it, else I'd play the hell out of it with my son. It's just not my type of game. The game takes skill sure, but not the sort of skill I like. I tend to prefer smaller numbers or 1v1 style games to reduce the cluster and random scenarios. It's why I prefer Siege to Battlefield, etc.

I see that same sentiment posted a lot on this forum about people calling those who don't like Fortnite "insecure" etc. Like people aren't allowed to not like it or something. Me saying Fortnite has broader appeal because of childish things does not take away from the gameplay it does have. I also see that reaction as an insecure sort of reaction.
and i think the exact reason that fortnite has become so huge is because it has strong appeal for a lot of demeographs whilst also being a great game.

your original post in this thread began by claiming you were 'proud' for not playing it while dismissing it's popularity as being down to 'the dances':
Proud to be in the other half. I will never understand how this game got so big. Well actually I have kids so I do understand. The dances.

that to me isn't you saying that you 'just don't like the game', but instead being snide about the existence and popularity of the game full stop. people who decry a hugely popular game due to the idea that kids may also like it are being insecure - it comes from this idea that they're too 'mature' to be perceived as liking something that younger people do.

it's fine to not like something. you or anyone else are free to not enjoy fortnite and are free to vocalise as such - the game ain't perfect. but positioning yourself as being above playing a game and downplaying it's success as being entirely due to how kids enjoy it - yeah, that's bullshit. it implies that the only reason that the game is popular lies outside of its quality and is instead found entirely in the things that appeal to kids, like it's aesthetics - and that the only reason why they'd like that is because kids are kids. it's an easy way to ignore actually engaging with the game itself and why it's so popular. being 'proud' that you don't play a game 'for kids' ain't the same as levying genuine criticisms towards it. it's lazy and obnoxious.
 
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BlacJack

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,021
and i think the exact reason that fortnite has become so huge is because it has strong appeal for a lot of demeographs whilst also being a great game.

your original post in this thread began by claiming you were 'proud' for not playing it while dismissing it's popularity as being down to 'the dances':


that to me isn't you saying that you 'just don't like the game', but instead being snide about the existence and popularity of the game full stop. people who decry a hugely popular game due to the idea that kids may also like it are being insecure - it comes from this idea that they're too 'mature' to be perceived as liking something that younger people do.

it's fine to not like something. you or anyone else are free to not enjoy fortnite and are free to vocalise as such - the game ain't perfect. but positioning yourself as above playing a game and downplaying it's success as being entirely due to how kids enjoy it - yeah, that's bullshit. and unlike your claim that the opposite happens on here (which i don't think i've ever actually seen?) i do see this sentiment a lot. being 'proud' that you don't play a game 'for kids' ain't the same as levying genuine criticisms towards it.


Ya, I said I was proud, bit of sarcasm, my bad. I am not part of the 50%, and I don't like Fortnite.

See this is why you (and others that get irritated at this) come off as insecure. I never "downplayed" the success, I was simply commenting on why I feel it is SO MUCH MORE popular than the MANY great games we have. I mentioned that everyone knows what Fortnite is, and everyone knows it mainly due to the dances. A lot of people don't even play it, but they setup school dance offs for all the kids to do quite specifically Fortnite dances and kids love the hell out of it. I have never in my life seen a school do this. The dances are memes everywhere. Hell, a lot of the kids who know the dances don't play the game, like my daughter. It is so wide spread, and no one can argue that it is the biggest game (of all time probably) because of good gameplay. I'm not saying it's only the dancing either. The extreme popularity was implied, but you got upset because I didn't specifically list every reason why people like it. The assumption was that obviously many people like the game, as people wouldn't play it otherwise. The inquiry was that there has to be something ELSE that vaulted it so high above the rest.

I got into a similar conversation with Minecraft. Obviously, for a game to be huge it has to be a good game first and foremost. But being a good game does not make your game popular. Being a kids game does not make your game popular. It's like hitting the jackpot because really, your game has to go viral for all the kids to want it, and that almost never happens off of gameplay. It happens off other things part of the game. And obviously, if the game sucks, it won't stick.
 
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Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
Ya, I said I was proud, bit of sarcasm, my bad. I am not part of the 50%, and I don't like Fortnite.

See this is why you (and others that get irritated at this) come off as insecure. I never "downplayed" the success, I was simply commenting on why I feel it is SO MUCH MORE popular than the MANY great games we have. I mentioned that everyone knows what Fortnite is, and everyone knows it mainly due to the dances. A lot of people don't even play it, but they setup school dance offs for all the kids to do quite specifically Fortnite dances and kids love the hell out of it. The dances are memes everywhere. Hell, a lot of the kids who know the dances don't play the game, like my daughter. It is so wide spread, and no one can argue that it is the biggest game (of all time probably) because of good gameplay. I'm not saying it's only the dancing either.

I got into a similar conversation with Minecraft. Obviously, for a game to be huge it has to be a good game first and foremost. But being a good game does not make your game popular. Being a kids game does not make your game popular. It's like hitting the jackpot because really, your game has to go viral for all the kids to want it, and that almost never happens off of gameplay. It happens off other things part of the game. And obviously, if the game sucks, it won't stick.
and that's fine, but the reason i picked on your original comment was because of that opening sentence and it implied that popularity was because of the dances.

my posts are aiming at the sentiment in general rather than directly you. as you say, the game would not have had a lasting appeal if that were the only reason why people play it. hence why i find it frustrating that so many people are dismissive of its qualities in favour of propping it up as some random kids toy. like minecraft before it, a game doesn't get this popular just because it has some aesthetic qualities that kids find funny - it's disengenuous to frame it as such. it's frustrating when people refuse to engage with fortnite due to it's perceived kiddy appeal ignore the actual quality of the game. shit's really fun and takes skill too get good at. people are free to not like it, but dismissing it for those reasons and downplaying it's popularity - which i see regularly on this forum, even in this thread - is stupid.
 

BlacJack

Banned
Nov 6, 2017
1,021
and that's fine, but the reason i picked on your original comment was because of that opening sentence and it implied that popularity was because of the dances.

my posts are aiming at the sentiment in general rather than directly you. as you say, the game would not have had a lasting appeal if that were the only reason why people play it. hence why i find it frustrating that so many people are dismissive of its qualities in favour of propping it up as some random kids toy. like minecraft before it, a game doesn't get this popular just because it has some aesthetic qualities that kids find funny - it's disengenuous to frame it as such. it's frustrating when people refuse to engage with fortnite due to it's perceived kiddy appeal ignore the actual quality of the game. shit's really fun and takes skill too get good at. people are free to not like it, but dismissing it for those reasons and downplaying it's popularity - which i see regularly on this forum, even in this thread - is stupid.

Dismissing Minecraft's and Fortnite's massive success as a kid's toy is a little ignorant though. Yes, they are good games, but they didn't sell gangbusters on that alone. They sold gangbusters because they are also great children's toys. And yes, I do believe the dances helped vault Fortnite into a realm very few games get to enjoy as far as money and popularity. It isn't famous because of its competitive e-sports scene. This doesn't imply your game is bad.

You make a Fortnite or Minecraft with the exact same gameplay and remove the childish looks and dances and it woulda sold closer to PUBG not where it's at. It tapped into a whole different audience, and that audience is huge.
 

Kouriozan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,072
Hoping to eventually get Save the World on there, I have 0 interest for BR and I would really love to continue my StW progress on the Switch.
If it happens, I guess they are waiting until they complete main content and thus switch to F2P.
 

Coxy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,187
Need better stats really. I downloaded it, but never played, and probably never will. I'm sure I'm not alone on that.
 

Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
Many of them were not out for a year and reached a cultural impact though.
i'd assume that there's been free games on the switch that have existed for longer than fornite br has in its entirety. and i'm not sure how that makes this not impressive - it clearly shows how popular this game is even as a 9 month-ish late port to a relatively new system. half of all 22 million switch owners having this game downloaded is crazy. these download figures aren't just because it's free, as your original post implied.
 
Oct 30, 2017
8,706
I downloaded it to check it out. It's just not a particularly enjoyable experience in comparison to other platforms. It wasn't even worth syncing it to my epic account.
 

Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
Dismissing Minecraft's and Fortnite's massive success as a kid's toy is a little ignorant though. Yes, they are good games, but they didn't sell gangbusters on that alone. They sold gangbusters because they are also great children's toys. And yes, I do believe the dances helped vault Fortnite into a realm very few games get to enjoy as far as money and popularity. It isn't famous because of its competitive e-sports scene. This doesn't imply your game is bad.

You make a Fortnite or Minecraft with the exact same gameplay and remove the childish looks and dances and it woulda sold closer to PUBG not where it's at. It tapped into a whole different audience, and that audience is huge.
i'm not saying that those qualities haven't helped it's popularity massively. there's no denying that fortnite is a viral sensation, in part due to those goofy visuals and emotes, something of which i'm reminded of when i accidentally scroll onto the 'fortnite' community stories on snapchat.

but what i've been trying to say is that attributing it's success entirely down to that - which i assumed you were doing in your original post and something that i see regularly on this forum and others - is inaccurate. any game with a similarly kid friendly aesthetic should surely be just as big if that were the case - but they aren't. and that suggests it's doing something more - and appealing to more than just kids. in people perceiving themselves as too old and 'mature' to take the game as nothing more than a novelty, talk of it ignores what the actual game does very well.
 

Deleted member 16849

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,167
Some of us that downloaded it discovered Sony cock blocked us because we had the audacity and nerve to try the game on PS4 at one stage.
 

PCPace

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,841
Alabama
I played it for about two weeks. I can see where it would be fun but I'm terrible at it. In that time I didn't get a single kill. Multiplayer shooting action just isn't my jam
 

BAN PUNCHER

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
4,945
I downloaded it and then booted it up but then it asked for a separate account creation and log-in and I was all "I can't be arsed with this" and went back to the squid kids くコ:彡
 

jroc74

Member
Oct 27, 2017
28,992
Fortnite is a beast.

Look, let's just hope Nintendo and Sony don't change their minds about F2P not needing a subscription to play online.