Fortnite is responding to the explosive popularity of titles like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds by releasing its own battle royale-style game. The expansion will be standalone and free-to-play for everyone.
In an announcement on Epic Games’ blog, the developer revealed Fortnite: Battle Royale will release on September 26th for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Mac. Both owners of the base game and new players will have access to the new mode for free.
The setup sounds very similar to PUBG but with more cartoonish visuals and Fortnite building skills. Players are dropped onto a map with up to 100 other competitors, and the last person standing wins. (No mentions of chicken dinners as of yet. Will keep you posted.)
Epic Games reiterated the free-to-play model by assuring players no in-game items will be sold to give competitive advantages. Cosmetic items and compendium-like content might be sold at some point in the future, however. They are also looking to introduce Squads to allow players to work with friends to survive matches.
Players won’t be required to own the original Fortnite to play Fortnite: Battle Royale. In fact, if you bought the game for the new mode before it went free-to-play — between September 12th and September 19th — you can contact Epic Games for a refund.
Battle royale games like PUBG have seen great success on PC but have been slow to make the trek to consoles. PUBG has a vague late 2017 release window for Xbox One — and plans for a PS4 version — but Fortnite will get a considerable leg up on consoles with its September release of the Battle Royale expansion. And since it costs nothing, compared to PUBG‘s $30 price tag, some players might save the cash and stick with Fortnite if it offers similar enough gameplay.
Fortnite: Battle Royale launches on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Mac September 26th.
