Fortnite Battle Royale has become Epic Games' most successful game, making the corporation a leader in the gaming industry in 2017. The creators of the platform were inspired by the success of the Korean development PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The battle royale genre was so popular among users that Epics first created an additional mode included in the main game, and then carried out a separate release of Battle Royale.
Producers and game designers were in a hurry to catch the wave of success and get ahead of the competition, so the work on the project took place in an incredible rush. The development was based on the game already owned by Epic Games, and it was hastily redone right on the go. One brainstorming session was followed by another. Ideas arose, were accepted and immediately went into oblivion, new developments came to their place.
The goal is a playable version in short terms
Fortnite's chief game designer, Eric Williamson, recalled that there was a tough goal on the job: to immediately create a playable version. Therefore, instead of a creative process, the approach was “what exactly can be done right now”.
As a result of brainstorming, a really decent product was created, but most of the ideas in 2017 were not implemented. Now developers are gradually taking them out of oblivion and making them into updates that appear quite often. The creators do not hide that the new patches contain materials, weapons, cosmetics, made on the basis of the creativity of the past.
Save The World upgrade
Eric Williamson explained exactly how the process of creating Fortnite Battle Royale took place. The base game Save The World had to be significantly modified. The length of a Battle Royale match was supposed to be short, no more than 20-30 minutes. The reason for this decision is the need for an easy start for the gamer. By clicking the "Play" button, the participant should not feel a serious commitment. In this case, he will accept the loss and happily start a new game cycle.
Also, the developers have changed the crafting system. With a short match time, the time for exploration, gathering materials and crafting is reduced. Therefore, all these options should have minimal energy consumption, and materials and items in Fortnite Battle Royale are easily and quickly obtained.
But the initial lightness is deceiving. If the entire game was played without any development, interest in it would be lost. The company's producer Zach Estep recalled that each subject and skill was tested according to the principle "easy to start - difficult to apply perfectly." All elements of the game should be clear from the start, and there are practically no limits to perfection, as you can imagine. All innovations were judged from the idea of: "What is the point?" If the developers set outrageous goals, the release of Fortnite Battle Royale would have happened a few months later. And this is unacceptable in conditions of tough competition.
Combination mechanic
The developers admit that they did not expect the given mechanics would be accepted so good. There were many doubts about the construction. Indeed, when a storm was approaching, the base could be useless. Nevertheless, the speed of the process prevailed. The players realized that if the shelter can be built very quickly, then it makes sense to use this option. As a result, the banal shooter has absorbed the features of the sandbox and conquered the players with the possibility of creativity. It is also important that the game itself is free, and the creators profit from additional transactions.
Fortnite Battle Royale, Reasons for Success
Epic Games has created one of the most popular online games. Why did they succeed in what many other developers failed to do? The first secret to success is responding to the players' request for a combination of simplicity and fun of gameplay. The second is the correct start time and fast implementation speed. The third secret is teamwork, making compromises. Millions of users have appreciated the brainchild of Epic Games and voted for it in the online space with their own time and financial investments.