Is Fortnite dying? Twitch data reveals why the game is far from dead

The "is Fortnite dying" debate was recently reignited after Twitch released the viewership stats for 2020.

Lol so true another reason Fortnite is dying pic.twitter.com/yaftrgmtLS

— JrEU (@TheJrEU) January 3, 2021

Over the years, "is Fortnite dying?" has become a generic clickbait title for YouTube's trending section. While on Twitter, players use "is Fortnite dying" to put forth their issues with Epic Games and the narrative it has planned for Fortnite.

The multi-billion-dollar game is far from dying though and Twitch recently confirmed the same by revealing their viewership statistics. All the events Epic hosted in 2020 has added a new dimension to the "is Fortnite dying" debate.

Twitch viewership stats reignites the “is Fortnite dying” debate

Image via Reddit

2020 was an exceedingly successful year for Epic Games and Fortnite. Events featuring Travis Scott, J Balvin, The Avengers, and Galactus ensured that new players will join the game. However, several kept asking the following on social media "is Fortnite dying?"

Fortnite is dying so ima lay with my puppy 🖕🏻epic pic.twitter.com/doCF2DssqT

— Bizzle (@FaZeBizzle) October 4, 2019

The debate has been raging on since 2018 and popular streamers like Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, Ali "SypherPK" Hassan, and Ali "Myth" Kabbani have added their arguments to the debate.

fortnite is dying ggs. this is fortnites viewership not mine. the game is at all time low, compare it now to like february when it first started , its literally as low as when the game first started doing good ... doing a gta video as a test today explaining how i feel. pic.twitter.com/R0oksP2CRu

— equisito (@ExSZN) January 13, 2020

While most of them mentioned that Fortnite is not dying anytime soon, their remarks did highlight some features affecting the game. For instance, Epic Games catering to new players through collaborations and live shows has made Fortnite quite an advertisement in the gaming world.

After fortnite becoming one big AD youd think the prize pools go up and not down

— TSM MackWood (@MackWood1x) September 25, 2020

Esports Talk made a video regarding this subject where Jake Lucky highlighted some of these features. This is one of the reasons why players keep asking "is Fortnite dying?"

However, considering the recent statistical analysis of total viewership on Twitch, Fortnite looks to be alive more than ever. Records show that Fortnite is the second most-watched game on Twitch.

Food Theory: Literally Generic Clickbait targeted for YouTube's Trending tab pic.twitter.com/w4iDlwRImg

— Game Theory Rejects (@GameTheoryRejct) December 26, 2020

Streamers like Turner "Tfue" Tenney, Cody "Clix" Conrod, Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf, and David "TheGrefg" Cánovas Martínez are leading the race with Fortnite viewership on Twitch.

Do you think Fortnite is dying ? Follow @iamatruckk if you ♥ #fortnite Credit: @ninja #FaZeUp #fortnitememes #fortniteclips #fortnitegameplay #fortnitevids @zTriKz @TheRealTityBoy @KingDivine315 @Distution @ShoutGamers @FameRTR @FearRTs @FortniteBR pic.twitter.com/mj9zC5kecr

— ATruckk (@IAmATruckk) August 27, 2018

A casual look at the debate will not help players come to a definitive conclusion. Critics will have to assess Fortnite’s recent history to get a better insight into the game’s popularity worldwide.

Tim Sweeney on Fortnite's Metaverse ambitions (from Epic's Friday filings in Epic v Apple) pic.twitter.com/G3UMgUdP22

— Matthew Ball (OOO) (@ballmatthew) September 6, 2020

In fact, Fortnite is becoming a global phenomenon as a platform for popular culture with each update.

Tim Sweeney when Fortnite kids tell him to bring the old map back pic.twitter.com/kNXwbW9STD

— bernie bare (@BareBernie) December 28, 2020

Epic executives Tim Sweeney and Donald Mustard have hinted several times that Fortnite is more than just a game, and is far from dying.

Modding for fortnite creative:- "Full" unreal engine editor available to create things for Fortnite- Ability to customize existing materials (img1) and other fortnite assets (img3)- Custom models supported- Shows in game, in real time, on all platforms (img4) pic.twitter.com/glxXGQje0U

— Coler (@yodafortnite) December 20, 2020

Recently, they also mentioned that Fortnite Creative will get a major update where designers and programmers would have access to the Unreal Engine. This unprecedented change will establish a brilliant developer-gamer interaction system in Fortnite.

Excited to see a scripting language return to Unreal Engine. Most of Rocket League was built in UnrealScript!This will be great for Fortnite creators and the future of user generated content in general. https://t.co/tJkNzNyEgv

— Corey Davis (@mrcoreydavis) December 20, 2020

Furthermore, players will get to create and play on their self-designed maps. Gamers can also recreate older versions of the Fortnite maps, or something new entirely - the possibilities are endless.

Through various collaborations and new revolutionary updates, Epic Games have been laying the "is Fortnite dying" debate to rest. Despite their best efforts though, the debate has turned into a trending statement on the internet.

To Everyone that said #Fortnite is dying: pic.twitter.com/JkcchKnl5H

— Mikey - Fortnite News & Leaks (@MikeDulaimi) October 15, 2019

POV you find out you're the reason fortnite is dying #Fortnite #twitch #twitchaffiliate #fearedones #fearedfamily pic.twitter.com/ukZGw4O9bQ

— F1.Bam (@bam_boozledtv) August 17, 2020

From the looks of it, 2021 is going to be a revolutionary year for Fortnite and Epic Games. As such, gamers can expect that there will be several more collaborations to follow with various live events.

Hopefully, Epic will usher in an era where Fortnite will turn into a platform for expression while maintaining the integral game mechanics.