Fortnite creators were starting to see that people were quickly losing interest in their game, and they were not about to let that happen.
At the conclusion of their 10th season this Sunday, in an event called “The End,” the game came to a screeching halt. At 2pm, as players were mid-game, a rocket blew up and dragged all players into a black hole. The screen went black. Since this point, people have been unable to log in and play.
Despite players’ inability to do anything besides stare at the black hole on the screen, they continued to tune in for 4 hours, with about 50,000 and 100,000 viewers in that timeframe on YouTube and Twitch, respectively. Estimates for the total views are in the millions, leading several people to call this “the most watched gaming event in history.”
The only new development so far has been random, cryptic numbers showing up on the screen, adding more suspense and drama to an already puzzling situation.
It’s unclear how long the blackout will last, as Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, has failed to comment. What is clear, however, is how genius of a ploy this was. Had this not happened, the 11th season would have almost surely flopped, since interest has been dwindling for a while, even among their previously most dedicated fans. But now, there is not a chance that people aren’t going to anxiously await what this all could possibly mean.
Update 10/28/19: The blackout lasted for just two days before Fortnite launched their second season, complete with a new map, challenges, skins, and weapons, and has received a lot of praise by fans.
The blackout event, “The End,” has solidified its spot as the most watch gaming event.
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Hannah Michelle Lambert is the Social Media + Events Coordinator at Worthix, as well as the host of the monthly CX News Recap segment. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
