Many brands, particularly those in fast-moving categories, will suffer from the same problems.įortnite, from the start, set out to be different, to challenge conventional gaming narratives. Year on year, Fortnite's average players were down 37%, so it’s clear that the frenzy was dying down.Įpic recognised that Fortnite’s long-term enemy isn’t losing players to other games, it’s becoming boring.

The aftermath was huge and put Fortnite Chapter 2 back on the map (so to speak), just as people were beginning to stop talking about it.

Players lived it – they heard alarms wailing and watched as rockets flew into cracks in the sky. In this case, anticipation before the event was low the black hole came as a huge shock to most. All good 'change' stories – where a significant event disproportionately impacts the surrounding characters – focus on three basic elements: anticipation, experience and aftermath. It’s a masterclass for marketers in how great storytelling can make a big impact. And it has attracted the attention of a global audience broader than its own committed fandom, with the kind of publicity most brands would kill for. While it has always culminated its chapters in dramatic style, shutting down its whole product was a big statement, not to mention a massive, expensive feat in co-ordination and planning. And obsessed gamers could lose sleep once again.įortnite is a global gaming leader and a billion-dollar moneymaker – arguably the most influential game of our time. Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, later released the trailer for Chapter 2 (season 11), much to the global gaming community’s relief. Fortunately for the fans, only its current iteration was subsumed. Speculation of the game’s permanent closure spread like a meteor shower.

And, in an instant, its Twitter feed was stripped of all content, save a black hole image. Distraught fans trying to sign in were presented with a blank screen. Gamers watched helplessly as the universe seemingly came to an end. If you haven’t heard, virtual-gaming platform Fortnite – played by 250 million people around the world – was sucked into a black hole. This week, someone blew up the most popular game on the planet.

Fortnite black hole