Fortnite vs Minecraft: Which Juggernaut Has the Most Staying Power?

This is a debate that has been all over the internet at this point, and it’s time that I actually definitively state my preference and give a little bit of background on both games, so that you can also come to your own opinion, that is if you haven’t already. I’ll go over Fortnite first, since it’s the most recent of the two to come out. Side note: for those of you who haven’t read up on my backstory here’s the link! < https://levelpassed.wixsite.com/3115gnr/post/the-future-of-the-gaming-industry >

Fortnite has been a powerhouse in the gaming industry since it was released July 21st, 2017. In fact, Epic Games wasn’t a household name until it was released. Before Fortnite the team had Gears of War, a powerhouse of a franchise, and Paragon, which was an attempt to bring a well known game genre, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (or MOBAs for short), to consoles with Paragon. Then, following the trend of Battle Royale games, Epic Games added a Battle Royale feature to their newest building Player Vs Environment (or PvE) game; Fortnite.

Before explaining what made Fortnite the powerhouse it is, I have to cover what made Battle Royale popular. A Battle Royale game starts as a concept, 100 people enter, only 1 comes out. The glory of being the man or woman to make it out of a situation like that, where all of the odds are stacked against you was enough to entice players to jump in. The idea became mainstream after the book Hunger Games was published; granted it was 24 teenagers and 2 made it out but still, the skeleton of Battle Royale games were there. Streamers on Twitch had been playing one popular game, Player Unknown’s Battleground (or PUBG). But PUBG was lacking something, the team behind the game didn’t really communicate or add anything to their game, it just was what it was.

Fortnite took the franchise a step further, it introduced a new mechanic, and had some interesting marketing decisions. Fortnite added building, where you can literally make your own cover in a heated firefight. Epic Games also decided to make their Battle Royale version free, giving everyone with a computer access to a fun new Battle Royale. While the actual Fortnite game didn’t gain much backing, the Battle Royale mode was all over Twitch, quickly becoming the #1 watched game streamed on the platform. Fortnite has also stayed active with communicating with it’s community, and partnering with other media juggernauts to keep Fortnite on top. It’s had John Wick events, Borderlands events, and even partnerships with streamers.

Minecraft is an old game, especially if you take into account the shelf life of most consumable media. For video games it’ll usually sell for about three years, but it’ll only be at its release price for a year or two. Minecraft is 12 years old, and it’s still the same price as it was when it was released, 26 dollars. It was a revolutionary game that was inspired by another game Dwarf Fortress. Markus ‘Notch’ Persson created a game that was for the most part, if you ask the internet, integral to their love of video games.

Minecraft mashed together crafting, building, and PvE to make a game that could feasibly satisfy any of its consumers, do you like to build but hate fighting the in game enemies? Turn on Creative mode. Do you want to play with a multitude of people? Join Minecraft Realms and play one of the many game modes there. Do you want to cave dive by yourself and get into the solo player lifestyle? Make your own world and play the day away. On top of that, Minecraft had its own Battle Royale mode far before PUBG or Fortnite.

Minecraft also was a huge step forward for inclusivity for people who played on console; Minecraft was a game that (eventually) was able to be played on all major platforms, from Playstation to Xbox, and of course, PC; everyone was all about getting those diamonds. Several let’s players on youtube grew popular, and even famous, from this game. Much like Ninja is with Fortnite, people like Captainsparklez and Skydoesminecraft flew to fame during Minecraft’s tenure.

Recently a resurgence of Minecraft has hit the internet by storm. Many people, upset with Fortnite for it’s cult following of children, have gone back to Minecraft. Many users will mod their games to have a new experience with an old classic.

All in all, both games will have staying power. I think that Fortnite will be around for a long time, but in my own opinion, Minecraft is a better game. But now (in case you weren’t) you are informed enough to take a side in this conflict, so the baton is passed to you… Fortnite or Minecraft?

#Minecraft #Fortnite #3115gnr