Fortnite players are using the hashtag #RipFortnite to air a variety of complaints about the game, but without any real unifying movement. While Fortnite may no longer be at the peak of its popularity, it’s still one of the most played games around the world, with frequent updates adding new skins, weapons, and vehicles.
A big part of the reason that Fortnite has lost some players is the growing competition from other battle royale games. Before the launch of games like Call of Duty Warzone and Apex Legends, Fortnite was essentially only competing with the much more punishing PUBG. More recently, Valorant has started to siphon even more attention away. Though it’s not a battle royale, the competitive shooter from League of Legends developer Riot Games has been drawing massive numbers of viewers on Twitch who might otherwise have been watching Fortnite.
With its popularity waning, Fortnite players are now taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations. While the #RipFortnite hashtag has been gaining a lot of traction, it’s not tied to any one specific issue with the game. Rather, players are using it as a catch-all for their personal Fortnite complaints. One widespread issue is Fortnite’s recently added skill-based matchmaking, which assigns players to matches with similarly skilled opponents. Some players say that this makes the atmosphere more competitive and serious, which makes the game less fun. Users like the Fortnite News Twitter account, which isn't affiliated with Epic Game, are saying that the developer’s attempts to cater to competitive and pro players leaves more casual players out. Competitive players, on the other hand, are saying that Epic isn’t tailoring updates to them enough, even after updates like removing legacy aim assist helped to raise Fortnite’s skill floor. As is the way with trending Twitter hashtags, #RipFortnite is also getting a boost from users asking why it’s trending in the first place.
Two of the issues that players seem to be having with Fortnite are recent server problems and a lack of communication from developers. While these may be impacting the game, they’re more than understandable given the context. Many developers are working from home for the first time or not working at all during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has an impact on their output. At the same time, players are spending more time online, putting added stress on servers.
Despite the popularity of the #RipFortnite hashtag, Fortnite isn’t going anywhere. It’s still an unbelievably popular game with no financial barrier to entry, and whether or not it’s the best it’s ever been, plenty of players will continue to log on just to spend time with their friends. Some player complaints may be valid, but sensationalizing them as the end of the game overstates the problem and disrespects the work of the development team at an uniquely stressful time.
Fortnite is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile platforms.
Source: Twitter, Fortnite News/Twitter