History of Fortnite in Timeline

Fortnite, developed by Epic Games, is a popular online video game platform launched in 2017. It features several distinct game modes, all sharing the same core gameplay mechanics. The most popular mode is Fortnite Battle Royale, where up to 100 players compete to be the last one standing. Fortnite: Save the World is a cooperative mode where players defend against zombie-like creatures. Fortnite Creative allows players to design their own worlds and arenas. Lego Fortnite has two open world games: Lego Fortnite Odyssey and Lego Fortnite Brick Life. Rocket Racing is a racing game. Fortnite Festival is a rhythm game. Fortnite Ballistic is a tactical first-person shooter. All modes except Save the World are free-to-play, contributing to its widespread appeal.

2011: Fortnite's Conception

In 2011, the concept for Fortnite emerged from an internal game jam at Epic Games after the publishing of Gears of War 3. The idea merged the construction game genre with shooter games, laying the foundation for Fortnite.

March 2017: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds release.

In March 2017, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was released, gaining popularity and drawing interest in the battle royale genre. Epic Games recognized this trend and started developing a battle royale mode for Fortnite.

July 2017: Paid Early Access Release of Fortnite

In July 2017, Epic Games released Fortnite as a paid early access title, planning a free-to-play release in 2019 while using player feedback to improve the game.

August 2017: Save the World Achieves One Million Players

By August 2017, the Save the World mode in Fortnite had reached over one million players, just before the release of Battle Royale.

September 2017: Release of Fortnite Battle Royale as a Free Game

By September 2017, Epic Games released Fortnite Battle Royale as a free game supported by microtransactions. It quickly gained over 10 million players in its first two weeks and led to the creation of separate teams for its development.

2017: Early Access Release of Save the World and Battle Royale

In 2017, Epic Games launched 'Save the World' and 'Battle Royale' as early access titles. While both modes found success, 'Fortnite Battle Royale' emerged as a cultural phenomenon, attracting over 125 million players in less than a year and generating substantial monthly revenue.

2017: Fortnite Game Release

In 2017, Epic Games released Fortnite, an online video game platform with multiple game mode versions sharing gameplay and the same game engine. These modes include Fortnite Battle Royale, Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Creative, Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and Fortnite Ballistic. All modes except Save the World are free-to-play.

2017: Awards Nominations in 2017

In 2017, Fortnite was nominated for "Best Co-op Game" by PC Gamer, and for "Best Spectator Game" by IGN.

March 2018: Streaming Event Breaks Viewership Records

In March 2018, a notable streaming event featuring streamer Ninja playing Fortnite Battle Royale alongside Drake, Travis Scott, Kim DotCom, and JuJu Smith-Schuster broke viewership records for Twitch to date.

June 2018: Fortnite Battle Royale Reaches 125 Million Players

By June 2018, just after the Nintendo Switch release, Fortnite Battle Royale had reached 125 million players.

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June 2018: Fortnite Battle Royale Pro-Am at E3 2018

In June 2018, Epic Games arranged a Fortnite Battle Royale pro–am with 50 pairs of streamers and professional players matched with celebrities at E3 2018.

December 6, 2018: Release of Fortnite Creative

On December 6, 2018, Epic Games released 'Fortnite Creative'.

2018: Awards Won in 2018

In 2018, Fortnite won the award for Best Ongoing Game by PC Gamer and IGN. IGN also nominated it for "Best Nintendo Switch Game", "Best Mobile Game", and "Best Action Game".

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July 2019: Inaugural Fortnite World Cup Tournament

In July 2019, Epic Games held the inaugural US$30 million Fortnite World Cup tournament.

December 2019: Fortnite's Gross Revenue

By December 2019, Fortnite had generated $9 billion in gross revenue and was listed among the greatest games of all time.

2019: Planned Free-to-Play Release of Fortnite

In July 2017, Epic Games released Fortnite as a paid early access title, planning a free-to-play release in 2019 while using player feedback to improve the game.

2019: Total Revenue for Fortnite Reaches $9 Billion

Total revenue for Fortnite reached more than $9 billion by the end of 2019.

June 29, 2020: Save the World exits early access

On June 29, 2020, Epic Games released Save the World as a premium title, bringing it out of early access.

2020: Epic Games Organizes Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS)

In 2020, Epic Games organized the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS).

2021: Epic Games Organizes Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS)

In 2021, Epic Games organized the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS).

2022: Blast ApS Organizes Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS)

From 2022 onwards, Blast ApS organized the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS).

March 2023: Release of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN)

In March 2023, Epic Games released the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), a standalone editor for Windows. UEFN allows creators to use Unreal Engine 5 features and Fortnite assets to develop new modes within Fortnite Creative.

October 2023: Redesign of Fortnite Client

In October 2023, Epic Games redesigned the main Fortnite client to present Epic's various modes and creative modes as part of Fortnite Experiences, similar to Roblox.

December 2023: Introduction of New Epic-Developed Modes

In December 2023, Epic Games introduced three new modes for Fortnite: Lego Fortnite (developed with The Lego Group), Rocket Racing (developed by Psyonix), and Fortnite Festival (developed by Harmonix). All modes were introduced as free-to-play and integrated with the game's battle pass system.

2023: Expansion of Battle Passes

In 2023, Epic expanded game modes in Fortnite, adding the Festival Pass for Fortnite Festival and the Lego Pass for Lego Fortnite, each requiring progression in their respective modes to receive rewards.

March 2024: UEFN Improvements Announced

In March 2024, Epic Games announced numerous improvements to UEFN, including the addition of Unreal Engine's MetaHuman character rendering technology and more assets from Lego, Rocket Racing, and Fall Guys.

December 2024: Changes to Pass Mechanics and Fortnite Crew Expansion

In November and December 2024, Epic Games changed Fortnite's pass mechanics, allowing the Festival Pass (renamed to Music Pass) and Lego Pass to be progressed through experience points earned in any Fortnite game mode. During the same time, the Fortnite Crew subscription was expanded to encompass the Music and Lego passes.