Why nobody has ever made a successful Fortnite rip-off (& likely never will)

Epic Games has managed to create an empire with the success of Fortnite Battle Royale. Many developers have tried to replicate this success over the last few years but have failed every time.

There are several reasons why Epic's Battle Royale continues to be one of a kind. Besides copyright infringement preventing certain elements of the popular title from showing up in other games, there are other unique features of the game that will likely never be seen in video games developed by studios that are not Epic Games.

Back when Epic Games released the Fortnite, it was one of the only few in the BR genre. Although it had to compete with the likes of H1Z1 and PUBG, no other game in the genre had building mechanics.

Soon after its release, players also saw the much-hyped release of Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone. While these games did manage to make a dent in the playerbase of Fortnite for a bit, this phase didn't last long. Epic Games ensured that its Battle Royale game, along with its building mechanics, stayed unique on PC and consoles.

However, as soon as Fortnite Mobile came out, players started seeing several copies of the game being made. A plethora of small mobile-game developers wanted to cash in on the trend, but they could never come close to doing what Epic had.

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How has Fortnite managed to stay unique and popular for so long?

Epic Games is a triple-A studio with a massive valuation. Based on its lawsuit against Apple and Google, it is evident that the studio is capable of taking down anyone who tries to make a game similar to Fortnite; clearly, afraid of a string of copyright lawsuits, hardly any developers try to copy the game.

However, unfortunately, this has not been the case with the mobile version. Many rip-offs of Fortnite Mobile have been released over the last few years. While all of these games have tried to copy everything, from the building mechanics to the weapons, no other game could manage to replace Epic's masterpiece, even though Fortnite Mobile was banned by Apple and Google.

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Graphics and gameplay

A major factor that any mobile game lacks in comparison to Fortnite is the stunning graphics it has to offer. Epic Games caters to low-end devices and even high-performance PCs. However, the level of optimization with regard to the BR title cannot be achieved by any rip-off created by a smaller developer. At the same time, no other game can offer the dynamic gameplay that Epic's Battle Royale does, either.

In addition to the gameplay, players also find the lore of the game to be one of the major attractions. It is hard for any other mobile game studio to work on a story spanning three individual chapters. Without a storyline, it is just very easy for players to get bored of just any other Battle Royale offering.

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Creative mode and other LTMs

The likes of Zero Build mode and the Impostor mode also end up drawing many players to the game. Epic Games has also managed to create an entire metaverse with a range of collaborations. Moreover, through one of its modes, the game provides players the opportunity to create their own islands. This is also a feature missing in any of the rip-offs, which will decrease their longevity.

It is obvious that Epic Games' Battle Royale is a result of constant hard work and a lot of capital. No rip-off has ever managed to stay around for long due to the lack of players, enjoyable content, and dynamic gameplay.

It's safe to say that Fortnite is in a league of its own.