Fortnite’s Year-in-Review

Saying it has been a big year for Fortnite would be an understatement. Not only did the game feature a lot of third party-events, but it reinvented itself as well and recently added a split-screen mode much to everyone’s surprise. From live concerts to game modes and characters based off newly-released films, Fortnite has evolved into a marketing tool for other companies. Mcfarlane Toys and Jazzwares have been dominating the toy industry with their Fortnite figures.

Overall, it was a busy year for the brand, so let’s briefly recap as we enter a new one!

Marshmello Live Concert

It was February and something unheard of happened in Fortnite, which I think spurred the game’s use as a marketing tool in the eyes of other companies. The Marshmello Concert really started the third-party events within the game and I think Fortnite’s busy year owes a lot of credit to the event.

The concert was built upon for days before it finally happened where players gathered at a stage and the artist, Marshmello, appeared on stage in digital form. There was music, dancing and a lot of dropped jaws. This was a live concert in a game. Nobody had imagined this and I think this changed how people looked at Fortnite.

Marvel and John Wick

Both Marvel and John Wick had events in Fortnite this year. The Avengers Endgame event saw players showdown with Marvel-related weapons like Thor’s hammer and Hawkeye’s bow. It was a lot of fun and came with its own set of rewards.

It was surprising when during the release of John Wick’s third instalment a house appeared on the map and this house looked a whole lot like the famous assassin’s house from the film. I didn’t believe the leaks at first that a John Wick event was inbound, “why would they promote an R-rated film in a game like this?” I wondered. Well, soon enough not only was there a fun game mode that revolved around John Wick that had players with high kill counts appear on the map and each kill increased their worth but John Wick appeared in the game as well as a skin, which is funny because one of the early battlepass skins was clearly a knock off of John Wick.

The End of Chapter 1

Probably the most insane thing to happen this year in Fortnite’s year was the end of Chapter 1. When Season X’s closing event happened the old map was destroyed and the game went into a black screen for a few days. This was a huge risk. In this industry, players playing your game means money yet, Epic Games decided to turn off the game for a good few days before dropping a whole new map on us. It was a risky marketing ploy which played off as even news outlets reported on this event.

Star Wars

It was no surprise that there was a Star Wars event in Fortnite. J.J Abrams, director of the latest movie, was digitally put in the game and spoke to the players about the movie, albeit briefly.

There were also some Star Wars-related skins that graced the item shop. It was a fun event and I’m looking forward to the next big film that decides to appear in Fortnite’s world.

Action Figures

Between Jazzwares and McFarlane Toys, the Fortnite action figure line has been in a healthy place. These figures changed how McFarlane Toys do some of their 7-inch figures and they have implemented these ultra articulation designs into their other properties as well.

I think the property sells well in toy form mostly because of how diverse and versatile the characters themselves are. From robots to werewolves and dragon ninjas, there’s a lot going on in this line.

Fortnite is on the top of its game right now. If they have another year like this, then it’ll just further strengthen its popularity. I for one am looking forward to the next year in Fortnite. Here’s hoping its full of Victory Royales!