Angry Fortnite fans upset that Fortnite seems to be moving on from being just a game

It’s no secret that Fortnite has been pushing the boundaries of what can be expected from a game, although lately that seems to have come at a cost. Following the latest reveal for Fortnite: Party Royale, many fans reacted angrily on Twitter. Most complaints seem to argue that Epic should focus more on the “game” part of their game, and stop trying to push concerts onto the Fortnite community.

Is Fortnite losing its identity as a game?

Perhaps the strangest development to happen to Fortnite is how strongly Epic has decided to push the game as a part of pop culture, rather than simply trying to appeal to its own community. They seem to be pursuing a business strategy which rejects the notion of appealing to and retaining a minimum viable audience altogether.

With the latest announcement of Fike’s performance in the Party Royale venue, and further announcements of how Epic intends to extend and develop Fortnite Party Royale, players began to wonder (quite angrily) whether or not Fortnite was still for them.

That’s not to say that Epic doesn’t still want them to play Fortnite, but that Epic seems too preoccupied with its other projects to stay dedicated to the product which brought on many of its core audience.

Could it be that Fortnite is getting tired of Fortnite?

Fan reactions to Fortnite’s newest concert

Fans of the game were not especially happy about this latest announcement.

---

Wow so cool where’s comp

— YoGabe (@YouTubeyoGabe) September 8, 2020

Enough party royale, I really think gameplay should come first rather than random people preforming in party royale. :/

— XHimeX (@XHimeX2) September 8, 2020

like if this game is dying

— use code mochafn (@MochaFN_) September 8, 2020

“fix the game not party royale” you’re not the only ones who play the damn game

— jen 👑 (@makunijiiro) September 8, 2020

Bro make updates not concerts

— Qrew (@Lbb_52) September 8, 2020

We don’t want concerts for artists that nobody knows. There’s a reason the majority of your audience is on warzone now. Bring back the OG map, weapons, items, vehicles, mechanics, etc. Honestly chapter 2 should’ve been Fortnite 2, so all the real ones could still be having fun rn

— Mr. Solo Dolo (@SoloDoloJacob) September 8, 2020

Party Royale is getting way more than any other mode currently and that’s just ugh.

— TheMarioManiac (@RealMarioManiac) September 8, 2020

---

Fortnite has found itself in a unique position where it seems to no longer be able to satisfy its core audience while pursuing its alternate goals and side projects.

However, with an audience as large as Fortnite’s, it can be hard to know what changes the game needs in order to have a stronger appeal to that core audience, or even which part of the audience is the "core." Perhaps this is a signal that these players are ready for a new experience and are just waiting for the next "Fortnite" to come out.