Fortnite’s launch and the ever lasting effects it had in the gaming industry.

By Aaron James Stead 30/07/2025

When Fortnite launched its battle royale mode in September 2017, few could have predicted the seismic impact it would have across the gaming industry. Developed by Epic Games, Fortnite wasn't the first battle royale title to hit the market—Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) had captured attention just months earlier—but Fortnite's colourful aesthetic, free-to-play model, and rapid content updates turned it into a global phenomenon. Today, the ripples from its launch are still felt, reshaping business models, content delivery, and community engagement across the industry.

The Fortnite Phenomenon: A New Standard is Set

Fortnite Battle Royale exploded in popularity largely due to its free-to-play access, cross-platform compatibility, and live-service approach. Within a year, it amassed over 125 million players, becoming a cultural juggernaut. Rather than charging a one-time fee, Epic monetized through battle passes, cosmetic skins, and emotes, creating an environment where players could support the game without any pay-to-win mechanics.

This business model, now common across the industry, became a blueprint for success. Fortnite’s mix of accessibility and continuous updates—combined with real-world events, brand collaborations, and social engagement—pushed other developers to rethink how games are marketed, updated, and monetized.

Case Studies: The Fortnite Effect on Industry Titans

Call of Duty: Warzone and the franchise as a whole (Activision)

Prior to Fortnite’s rise, Activision’s Call of Duty franchise focused on yearly paid releases. In 2020, Call of Duty: Warzone launched as a standalone free-to-play battle royale, clearly inspired by Fortnite’s success. Warzone/Call Of Duty as a whole adopted seasonal content, battle passes, and cosmetic monetization, diverging sharply from the franchise’s traditional retail-first model. As a result, Activision saw a surge in player retention and revenue through in-game purchases.

Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment / EA)

EA's Apex Legends, launched in 2019, leaned heavily on Fortnite's formula—free-to-play, battle pass model, regular seasonal updates—but added its own flair with team-based tactics and hero-based gameplay. The success of Apex proved that Fortnite’s model wasn’t a fluke; it was the new standard for modern multiplayer games.

Roblox (Roblox Corporation)

While Roblox predates Fortnite, it capitalized on the cultural momentum Fortnite created around virtual spaces and digital identity. Following Fortnite’s in-game concerts and brand collaborations, Roblox intensified its push into the metaverse with user-generated worlds and in-game events, establishing itself as a major platform for digital experiences beyond gaming.

Lasting Effects Felt Today

The Rise of the Live-Service Model

Fortnite normalized the idea of “games as a service” rather than one-time products. Today, most major franchises—Destiny 2, Genshin Impact, Overwatch 2, and Halo Infinite—follow seasonal update cycles and offer battle passes.

Cross-Platform Play as the Norm

Fortnite was one of the first games to enable true cross-platform play across console, PC, and mobile. This feature is now a minimum expectation for multiplayer games, and has pushed platform holders like Sony and Microsoft to cooperate more openly.

Digital Events and the Metaverse Concept

Travis Scott’s in-game concert and the Marvel crossovers redefined what a game could be. Fortnite helped bridge the gap between entertainment mediums, paving the way for discussions around the “metaverse.” Games now double as social hubs—places for concerts, movies, and events.

Shift in Monetization Ethics

Though Fortnite monetized through cosmetics and avoided pay-to-win, it also opened the door to aggressive marketing of in-game purchases to young audiences. This has triggered debates around microtransactions, loot boxes, and regulatory oversight.

In my personal opinion it has opened a proverbial can of worms in terms of predatory price margins.

Here is a physical timeline of the progression of Fortnite's influence on the gaming industry.

In conclusion, Fortnite’s launch marked more than the beginning of a new popular title; it marked a revolution in how games are made, marketed, and monetized. Its fingerprints are all over today’s gaming landscape, from the prevalence of battle passes and live events to the expectation of cross-platform functionality. Whether seen as a triumph of innovation or a cautionary tale about monetization, Fortnite’s influence is undeniable. It didn’t just change the rules—it rewrote the entire playbook.