Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

‘Fortnite’ has already been downloaded over 2 million times on Nintendo Switch

By

On June 12, Nintendo revealed that Fortnite: Battle Royale was coming to the Switch that very same day, giving players yet another platform on which to play the biggest game in the world. It appears to have been a massive success for developer and publisher Epic Games, as the game has already amassed more than 2 million downloads.

Recommended Videos

Speaking to Polygon, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé revealed that Fortnite managed to accomplish the feat in less than 24 hours, and said it “speaks to the power of the franchise, the engagement of [Nintendo’s] players and the resonance of being able to play it anytime, anywhere.”

Players can currently compete in Fortnite: Battle Royale on iOS as well, but the Switch offers a chance to be more competitive thanks to its traditional control scheme. The game is also scheduled to come to Android devices later this summer, making it available on pretty much everything except Amazon Alexa.

It’s a strategy that contrasts with PUBG Corporation and Bluehole’s approach for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which is currently only available on Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android. The games don’t support cross-platform play, and both the Xbox One and PC versions are paid. PUBG Mobile, meanwhile, is free and supported with microtransactions.

Not everyone is playing nice with Nintendo on Fortnite, however. Those who previously played the game on PlayStation 4 were alerted upon booting up the Nintendo Switch version that their accounts were incompatible, and they would not only be separated from PlayStation 4 players, but would have to create new accounts if they wished to continue on Switch. Microsoft has taken the opposite approach with Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, releasing Minecraft on the system and even offering Xbox achievements in the game.

Hopefully, Sony reverses course and allows all Fortnite players to connect together. We know it’s technically possible, as Xbox One and PlayStation 4 crossplay was enabled accidentally in September.

Fortnite currently has more than 125 million players across its various platforms. It shows no signs of stopping, and with the quick content updates and additions Epic Games has offered over the last few months, it certainly deserves its success — even if we weren’t too keen on it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
The Nintendo Switch just got 2 surprise games — and they’re both worth grabbing
A teddy beat sits on an embroidery hoop in Stitch.

If you were unable to catch this week's Nintendo IndieWorld showcase, then you missed a surprisingly loaded show. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes got a May release date, WayForward showed off its Yars' Revenge revival, and Steamworld Heist 2 got an exciting reveal. In the midst of all those headlines, two smaller games were surprise released on the platform: Stitch and Sticky Business. Don't sleep on either of them, as they're both worth a purchase.

Both games are ports of previously released games, but both went a bit under the radar upon their original launch. Sticky Business modestly launched last summer on PC, whereas Stitch has actually been around since 2022 as an Apple Arcade exclusive. The latter even has an Apple Vision Pro version now that can be played in mixed reality. I can't blame anyone for missing either, but their Switch releases offer a good opportunity to catch up with some quiet hidden gems.

Read more
Every rumored video game console: Nintendo Switch 2, PS5 Pro and more
A PS5 sits on a table.

History would tell you that 2024 isn't a year where you should expect a lot of new game consoles. We're smack dab in the middle of a console generation and we've already seen the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S get upgrades during it. A wave of brand new consoles is likely four years away if the precedent set by previous generations holds up.

And yet, we're swimming in hardware rumors these days. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all have rumored systems in the works. On top of that, we're on the verge of an early second generation for portable PCs like the Steam Deck. Companies like Lenovo and Asus are also plotting follow-ups to their own devices. It's a lot to keep track of, with scattered reports sharing rumors about the status of each. To help you stay on top of the news, we've rounded up every major gaming device that's currently in the works. You can expect to see some -- if not all -- of these in the next year.
Nintendo Switch 2

Read more
World of Goo 2 might just be the Nintendo Switch’s next must-own co-op game
A built structure in World of Goo 2.

When I sat down to demo World of Goo 2 at this year’s GDC, I noted to the developers on hand how surprising it was to see a sequel after so long. “It’s been, what? Ten years?” I said. I was very far off the mark: They noted that the original World of Goo launched in 2008. After playing a few levels (and having an existential crisis over time’s rapid passing), I’d find myself wondering how such an obvious slam dunk didn’t come sooner.

Like its predecessor, World of Goo 2 is a physics-based puzzle game where players craft structures from little, gooey critters. It presents a series of engineering challenges, as poorly built structures will topple under the weight of all those jiggly little pals. Rather than reinventing that concept entirely, World of Goo 2 adds some wild new ideas onto that stable structure that opens up its puzzle potential. The result is a chaotic co-op game that’s a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch.

Read more