The history of Fortnite: How Save The World gave birth to the Battle Royale mode

With Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 bringing players back to the early days of the game, it is quite interesting to think how the game had humble beginnings as Fortnite: Save The World. This was simply a cooperative player-versus-environment mode that allowed players to team up together to fight off hordes of zombie-like creatures.

However, the game underwent a remarkable transformation when it birthed the wildly popular Battle Royale mode. This is the story of how Save The World paved the way for the Battle Royale phenomenon and how it was developed and designed in just around two months, as recently revealed by Eric Williamson, a developer of the game.

---

The beginning of Fortnite's journey in Save The World

Fortnite's early stages heavily focused on Save The World. (Image via Epic Games/Fortnite)

Save The World's journey began years before its actual release. Epic Games announced the game's development as early as 2011. After several years in the oven, Save The World was finally launched in July 2017. The cooperative zombie shooter allowed players to team up, collect resources, and build structures to defend against waves of hostile creatures.

The initial reception of Save The World was highly positive, with players enjoying the cooperative element of the gameplay and the innovative base-building mechanics. However, Epic Games had something even more ambitious and enthusiastic in mind.

---

Epic Games broke new ground with the Battle Royale mode

The game's Battle Royale mode took the world by storm. (Image via Epic Games)

Fortnite Battle Royale burst onto the scene on September 26, 2017, forever transforming the landscape of the Battle Royale genre and the gaming industry. The game introduced a free-to-play player-versus-player (PvP) experience that drastically gained immense traction and popularity, with the mode featuring 100 players battling for supremacy.

The decision to develop a Battle Royale mode was undoubtedly a strategic one. Epic Games had observed the surging success and popularity of the Battle Royale genre, thanks to titles like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and H1Z1: King of the Hill.

Additionally, the rise of content creation and live-streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube presented a golden opportunity for Fortnite to take center stage.

---

Developer at Epic Games reveals the game's rapid development cycle

What set Fortnite apart from other Battle Royale games was its rapid yet smooth development cycle. Eric Williamson, one of the game's developers, revealed that Donald Mustard, the Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, made the decision to develop the Battle Royale mode within two months.

He revealed that assets and mechanics from Save The World were used in the Battle Royale development cycle. It was a monumental task and achievement to turn an existing cooperative tower defense mode into Chapter 1 of the competitive sensation that the game has become today.

Battle Royale mode retained the core building mechanics from Save The World while introducing competitive, fast-paced gameplay in a destructible yet vibrant environment.

This allowed it to become a cultural phenomenon, appealing to players of all skill levels and ages, and the mode's ability to combine fast-paced action with creative building mechanics set it apart from other Battle Royale games.

While Battle Royale and Save The World modes shared an art style and core mechanics, their gameplay objectives and purposes were drastically different. Save The World focused on cooperation, while Battle Royale was all about fierce competition to be the last one standing. Shortly after its launch, players began gravitating towards the competitive factor of Battle Royale.

---

The surge in popularity of the Battle Royale mode

While the duality of Save The World and Battle Royale provided Fortnite with versatility and appeal, the community began to focus heavily on the Battle Royale mode, with the mode receiving a tremendous surge in popularity around Chapter 1 Season 3 of the game.

This trend has continued as the Battle Royale mode has received regular updates throughout the years, and Save The World is a second priority for Epic Games.

Fortnite's success has only continued to soar, with the game introducing Creative and Unreal Engine for Fortnite, allowing players to build their own creations and share them with the player base. With constant content updates and various crossover events with iconic franchises like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, DC, and many more, the game remains an evolving and dynamic gaming platform.