#RIPFortnite – Does Fortnite Need ‘Reshaping’?

This last week the hashtag #ripfortnite trended. It has been pretty full with both players and fans expressing their frustration with the game. If they’re to be believed, the sky is falling.

Some of the reactions to #ripfortnite have definitely been hyperbolic. However, there are some pretty legitimate grievances with it. The whole affair has led some of the bigger names in Fortnite to weigh in the subject, with Ninja and SphyerPK expressing their frustration, and how they think Fortnite needs reshaping.

Ninja and SypherPK on #ripfortnite

SypherPK’s words on #ripfortnite were pretty harsh. The main complaint seemed to be directed more at the infrastructure of the game though, rather than the game itself. This would imply there isn’t too much wrong with the competitive balance of the content of them, but with the way it is presented.

Upgrading servers can hardly be defined as ‘reshaping Fortnite’, more ‘slightly upgrading Fortnite to bring it more in line with the new standard for online play’, but that isn’t nearly as catchy. SypherPK isn’t the only player frustrated though. Ninja weighed on in the #ripfortnite trend, going off from SypherPK’s words.

Wow @SypherPK ‘s most recent video really hits hard. I love Fortnite so much and really wanna see the game thrive again and be goofy and fun in regular matches. Would really bring back the streamers and youtubers we all miss. https://t.co/mGzeJKqYfg pic.twitter.com/hSMrEEbwQB

— Ninja (@Ninja) April 14, 2020

Ninja also hits on getting more communication from Epic to competitive players. In terms of content, he says he is missing the fun part of Fortnite. This brings us to the bigger question with the #ripfortnite hashtag, what exactly needs to change about Fortnite?

Why #ripfortnite?

Fortnite has generally been sat in its current position since the black hole event. There was an initial spike in popularity, but that faded. What followed was Fortnite’s longest season ever. A relatively simplistic map and slimmed down weapons roster was all the game had to offer. This lasted for a significantly longer period of time the normal. This was eventually replaced with Season 2, but that wasn’t the big change that most players wanted after such a long season. The minor additions to the map pale in comparison to the changes that were made on the old map between seasons.

Fortnite now has a more consistent competitive balance, it is definitely stale. #ripfortnite is frustration at this and the handling of the game by Epic. All Fortnite seasons last too long for the amount of content they provide, and new additions don’t do much to liven up gameplay. This might be down to the way Epic handles new content now, or it could be age.

Is Fortnite Past its Sell-by Date?

There is a very real possibility that Fortnite has just gotten older. It has been one of the most profitable games in the world for the last two years, and revenues are now shrinking. Fortnite isn’t the new thing like it was in previous years. It has now been around too long to capture the attention of new players. This kind of slowdown means it won’t recapture those heights of before, but it doesn’t mean the competitive scene will be going away. Esports do fine once the initial hype over them leaves, and Fortnite’s huge prize pools are always going to bring players in.

Audiences are fickle and they get bored. However, so are players and streamers to a lesser degree. Their abandonment of Fortnite lead to the #ripfortnite trend, but that was more down to Valorant than Fortnite itself. That game exploded onto Twitch in the same way that Apex Legends did. Does this mean it’s going to kill of Fortnite? Probably not, it’ll likely go the way of Apex. Its initial success will level out, but it will find its own passionate audience.

What Does Fortnite Need to Change?

Fortnite has some definite problems, and the entire #ripfortnite thing can’t be blamed on age and a new game getting people excited. The competitive community does need more openness from the epic. The game should try and to find a middle ground between the lively seasons of Chapter 1 and the dull season of Chapter 2. Server upgrades are also sorely needed, especially with Epic hosting a ridiculous amount of in-game tournaments every week. This season saw a bizzare amounts of cups, with cash cups, platform cups, and even daily cups, all doubled for a flimsy seaosn theme. Maybe instead of duplicating tournaments, they could spend some of that cash on sorting out system wide problems. Although, having so many Esports tournaments is definitely fun.

#ripfortnite doesn’t necessarily mean that Fortnite is dying, just that it isn’t as exciting right about now. The game could have a very long future as both a casual game and Esport, but it needs some work.

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