The controversial Fortnite mech, the B.R.U.T.E., is apparently here to stay according to Epic Games, as the developer went on record laying out why it believes the addition of the robotic death machines has been beneficial to the overall Fortnite experience. Fortnite season 10 - or Season X, as it's sometimes known - has been exciting thanks to a blend of nostalgic additions of old fan favorites mixed in with an evolving narrative that has intrigued fans that have been long-time players of the Epic Games juggernaut.
Fortnite season 10 has also been the site of one of the most imbalanced additions to the game that players have ever experienced in the form of the B.R.U.T.E., a giant piloted mech that can be used by two players simultaneously that has been completely demolishing competitive play. Epic Games has already tinkered with the mech's design by adding a warning laser to it and dramatically reducing the suit's spawn rate in competitive playlists, but that hasn't changed the fact that players worldwide are getting sick of the difficult-to-deal-with homage to Gundam and other franchises. #RemoveTheMech became a worldwide Twitter trend last weekend, and fan sentiment has continued to suggest that Epic Games may need to make one more dramatic change to Fortnite - remove the B.R.U.T.E. altogether.
Unfortunately for players, that doesn't seem like it will be happening. Epic wrote a blog post detailing why the company felt the inclusion of the new mech was beneficial to the game of Fortnite, and it's a head-scratcher for sure. According to the company, the B.R.U.T.E. has been helping players who were struggling to get eliminations in acquiring more, while experienced players are apparently still garnering similar numbers when compared to their performance in the past. In essence, Epic believes weaker players are having more fun at no cost to the more experienced ones - something that rarely holds true in multiplayer gaming:
"The mission of Fortnite is to bring players of all skill levels together to have a fun experience where anyone can win...we have seen players who had previously struggled with getting eliminations acquiring more, while the number of eliminations earned by more experienced players remained steady.
We're happy with the results."
What the blog post fails to address is the fact that players simply don't like playing with the B.R.U.T.E. mechs. Many multiplayer games have devolved into players actively seeking out the suit and destroying it before anyone gets a chance to use it, or otherwise forming a sort of gentleman's agreement with everyone else involved that sees no one use the feature at all. From a game design perspective, that can't be considered a win.
For now, though, Epic Games remains steadfast in its believe that the B.R.U.T.E. is a healthy addition to the constantly evolving world of Fortnite. Perhaps the developer knows a flaw in the suit's competitive design that players simply haven't found yet - but much more likely is the possibility that Epic just doesn't care. When it comes to treating Fortnite as an esport, the developer has shown time and again that it values splashy new additions even if it comes at the cost of core gameplay consistency, and the B.R.U.T.E. fits that description to a tee.
Source: Epic Games