Before July 25, the definition of “fortnight” was a two week period of time. After that, it became a battle-royale, combined with a player-versus-environment game. Fortnite finally made it in the spotlight in November and December as a free to play game.

This buzz of a battle-royale type of game rides off of  the success of the widely played game Players Unknown Battlegrounds or more commonly referred to as PUBG.  A battle-royale game is a game formatted as you-versus-everyone else. In Fortnite, each game consists of 99 other players in a free-for-all, with the goal of being the last player standing.

Fortnite, unlike PUBG, has an animated style to the game, making it friendlier to the general public, which has allowed it to connect with a younger audience, in contrast to PUBG’s realistic style. The family friendly graphics also involve no bloodshed, but rather shows the player the amount of damage that has been dealt, similar to other popular games, such as League of Legends.

Fortnite now has a player base on multiple gaming systems such an: Xbox One, PS4, and PC, with a whopping total of 3.4 million players worldwide. This bests PUBG’s January average of 2.9 million players. This can be accredited to the clear and easy to see graphics, character customization, casual style of game play, and price, which is free.

The natural question asked by any game company is: How do you make profit off of a free game?

Fortnite makes its primary income on player models, pickaxes, backpacks and parachute skins. None of these items impact your game play, but rather impact your in game style. If a player wants to buy these cosmetic pieces, they have to buy in game currency, also known as V-Bucks.

Another draw to Fortnite that other games in general don’t contain is the ability to build. Building pieces such as walls, floors, stairs and roofs can be modified, adjusted, and changed to fit the users needs. Building anywhere and everywhere gives Fortnite a special twist that no other game contains, putting it ahead of the competition.

Over the past months, Fortnite and Epic Games have changed the gaming community for the better, tending to the needs of the user instead of the cash flow. Adding new updates to the game allows it to avoid a stale feeling. Updates, like adding places, new skins, new weapons, and new terrain keep Fortnite ahead of the rest, with about two new updates about every “fortnight”. With Fortnite’s continued success, it is very plausible that in the future other games will adapt this style of gaming.