Epic Games reaches a new milestone as Fortnite Battle Royale surpasses 40 million players. The numbers were reportedly shared across all available platforms.
The free-to-play shooter was previously criticized for its uncanny similarity with Bluehole Studio's likewise popular PUBG. However, its unique build mechanic and great gameplay have apparently earned it a spot among gamers.
Last month, the game also marked another achievement as it recorded over 30 million users. In fact, its popularity seems to be catching up to the other aforementioned title and could possibly match its player count.
Additional Map Changes
Reports confirm that Epic Games wanted its players to explore more of the eastern side of the new map. Internal data collected from matches revealed that map locations in that general area are usually scarcely visited during gameplay.
One of the new locations will be called Tilted Towers and feature large buildings and structures that are generally more vertical in design. The next one is Shifty Shafts, which, as the name implies, will be claustrophobic mine below ground.
Overall, the entire island will additionally get redesigned with what the game studio calls "biomes." This will apparently adjust the appearance of different areas so that it won't look like everything is just grasslands.
After the update, players will notice distinct zone designs that show mountains, farmlands, swamplands, and more.
Map Update dropping next week for FNBR, including new spots to juice up the current map. Dive into our first Dev Update of 2018! pic.twitter.com/A8SVxD3IhM
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) January 12, 2018
Upcoming Tweaks
Epic Games revealed that a new update is on its way to Fortnite Battle Royale. It looks like the original map is due for an overhaul, which will be called "Map 2.0," according to the development team.
Players can expect a substantially larger area now populated by tall buildings, underground mines, and upgrades to familiar locations. The developers credit the new features to the new level streaming technology built into the game engine.
"Level streaming is technology which uncaps us to be able to increase the variety of quality of the localized area you're in at any given time," the game studio stated. "It's great technology that is useful in Battle Royale but also in all of our Unreal Engine licensees," it added.
Changes Made For The Better
Shortly after its release, Epic Games initially added the player-versus-player mode as part of the base game. However, around September 2017, the game studio turned it into an independent free-to-play model called Fortnite Battle Royale. Despite the tepid reception of the original game, the latter surprisingly impressed fans.
"To put it in context, some of the folk around the office are saying hey, we could be the biggest Battle Royale game in the western world, which is crazy," commented Eric Williamson, the game's lead system designer.
Some of the key aspects as to why the Fortnite Battle Royale turned out to be a great success is its attention to feedback. Epic Games admits that its developers pay close attention to forums and social media to listen and address problems with gameplay. Furthermore, the game's whimsical design apparently makes its attractive to casual players.
