Could the Reign of Battle Royale Finally Be Over?

With Fortnite seeing a whopping 40% decline and hardly any E3 reveals, could the Battle Royale craze finally be nearing its end?

Battle Royale in games is nothing new but when a little title called PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds crashed onto the scene back in 2017, it definitely took the gaming industry by storm. Since then, Fortnite has reigned supreme and taking over even mainstream media with commercials, book deals, and so much more. That popularity inspired other studios to try their hand at this particular PvP mode, some being massive failures while others proved worthy like Call of Duty: Blackout, Elysium, and Apex Legends. But what goes up must come down and it looks like we could be nearing the end of the this craze’s life cycle. 

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First and foremost, let’s talk E3. E3 is the place to make big announcements and reveals, something Microsoft one hundred percent took to heart with their showcase. That being said, there were quite a few online experiences shown off, but not really a whole lot of battle royale reveals other than Gears 5’s take on the genre, which was to be expected, and Fallout 76’s jump into BR fame. We expected a few indie reveals and possibly even a Tom Clancy tie, but those appearances were lacking, which seems to bode well for those looking for the end of Battle Royale. 

Another interesting connotation is Fortnite’s decline. While a game declining is nothing special and absolutely expected, they can’t last forever – especially with such a high turnover rate – Fortnite has recently seen a whopping 40% decline despite their weekly updates and surprising crossover events. That being said, being down that much doesn’t mean they are hurting for cash. The month of May saw a $203 million revenue haul, which still ranks it incredibly high in terms of performance in the current market. 

As Fortnite continues to ramp up their quality game with high profile crossovers and incredibly detailed cosmetics, that level of attention can only last for so long. Apex Legends also saw a major decline as players wait for the second season and Black Ops 4’s take has also seen a dramatic drop in concurrent player count. 

This is not us saying death to battle royale, nor is this us saying definitively that all developers have given up on this trend. That being said, it’s interesting to see such a high finally starting to come down, making us wonder just what the next craze will be and if it will attempt to capitalize on BR’s growth or aim to be something different entirely. 


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Author
Liana Ruppert
With an arguably unhealthy obsession with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, Liana is wildly passionate about all things in the gaming community. From shooters, to RPGs, if it's out - she's playing it. A medically retired US Sailor and now full-time hoarder of gaming collectibles, Liana's passion for everything in the gaming industry is palpable. Also, if you lose her in a crowd, just casually mention any BioWare game and the crazy pterodactyl screech will without a doubt follow. You can follow her on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy or email her for editorial inquiries at [email protected]!