The history of Fortnite: How a rocket launch gave Fortnite Travis Scott, Ariana Grande and others

Fortnite has had quite the journey ever since the Battle Royale mode was released in Early Access on September 26, 2017.

What started as a hybrid third-person shooter and tower defense game evolved into an iconic last man standing game that has truly taken over the world and changed gaming forever.

That's on the outside, however. On the inside of Fortnite, certain events have altered the landscape of the BR and the island itselfs. The rich history all started with a Visitor and a rocket.

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The history of Fortnite's lore

The Rocket Launch

There was so much planning done in Fortnite prior to Chapter 1 Season 4. The game began to take off, a comet appeared in the sky, and small meteorites rained down on the island.

Then the comet crashed, Dusty Depot was turned into Dusty Divot, and The Visitor exited the meteor. Shortly after, the villain launched a rocket and caused a Rift above Titled Towers. The rest, they say, is history.

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The rest of Chapter 1

Once that first Fortnite live event took place, players were eager for more. The story just kept building through Chapter 1 with the Rifts causing points on the island to change. Characters like Drift found themselves fighting to survive in the BR.

The Cube formed, sunk into the lake, and eventually the island froze over. This leads to the Prisoner being freed and warming the island up from the Ice Storm that took place.

Then pirates came, the Vault appeared, and the Zero Point fully started to show its power. Fans got to see a giant mech take on a massive monster in a battle for the ages.

At that point, the Zero Point exploded, time stood still, and scientists were trying to figure out how to get things back to normal in Fortnite. Well, that caused a blackhole which took us to Chapter 2.

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Chapter 2 Lore

Chapter 2 of Fortnite started with the black hole exploding. Midas arrived, other agencies tried to stake their claim and investigate; it was starting to get crowded on the island.

The various agencies started messing with the Storm, flooding the island, and even being a beacon for Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. The Avengers and other heroes thankfully put a stop to that.

That didn't stop the Zero Point from continuing to cause problems in Fortnite, though. This is truly where the unthinkable began in terms of crossovers. So many characters, considered "hunters", came through the Zero Point to the island.

The likes of the Mandalorian, Kratos, Master Chief, and Daryl Dixon all made their way into Fortnite. Soon after, Aliens appeared and began an invasion. That is the state of Fortnite currently.

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How the first event shaped Fortnite's future

A variety of Fortnite crossovers. (Image via Epic Games)

The first live event, Fortnite's Rocket Launch, set things in motion. It made a light bulb turn on above the heads of the developers at Epic Games. If they could do that, what else could they pull off?

With money pouring into Fortnite from the incredible skins, Battlepasses, and other cosmetics, the sky has always been the limit for the popular Battle Royale. It was only a matter of time before it went even further.

The Rocket Launch was just the beginning. It set the stage for other live events and even concerts, such as Marshmello, Travis Scott, and most recently, Ariana Grande.

Without Epic Games realizing their capabilities with Fortnite because of the Rocket Launch, there would never have been a Star Wars collaboration or the chance for Naturo to join the game.