Fortnite
Update: While Epic did not offer API data access until the last few years, they tweeted in 2021 that the Galactus event had 15.3 million players, which would put it above this one. Original article follows:
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If you think Fortnite peaked years ago, you’re just wrong, no two ways about it. The game continues to grow and grow and now, it has set a new concurrent playercount record with several million more players than the previous one for the Big Bang event.
Fortnite just put on a sprawling virtual concert starring Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice and the deceased Juice WRLD, with the show meant as a tribute to the late rapper. Lasting about 15 minutes or so, each performed a song or two, ending with Juice WRLD getting the stage to himself as players floated around in crystal butterfly form.
The previous concurrent playercount record for Fortnite was 11.6 million for the Big Bang. Now, it’s an astonishing 14.3 million, around a 25% surge from the old record.
Fortnite
It’s the third concert event of this scale with the Travis Scott and Ariana Grande shows before this. Fortnite has featured a lot of music and musicians over the years, but most are now integrated into Fortnite Festival rather than a large-scale event like this. Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, for instance, have music and skins in the game, but they have not had huge showcases like this.
Players got a free Juice WRLD skin for logging in this week ahead of the show, which could have bolstered attendance a bit. This is also the end of Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 starts tomorrow, a Japanese-themed installment which looks fantastic, so hype is pretty high among the playerbase.
Fortnite
Simply put, we don’t exactly know when Fortnite will truly peak. It may not be in the news every other day like it was when it was blowing up as the biggest Battle Royale on the planet, but even years later we can still see it setting records like this periodically when it cooks up something new and massive.
As for the show itself, it was a lot of fun with the typical “larger than life” performances with Snoop Dogg rapping around a mansion and in space, Eminem fighting a mecha version of himself and Ice Spice rapping across a city skyline. Juice WRLD’s was the most subdued, rapping on the horizon and in the stars in an almost Mufasa-like appearance, which reflects how he’s been situated on the map before this. It was really something to watch. And 14 million people did.
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