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CultureFortnite Nerfed The Mech
After weeks of player outcry, developer Epic made some significant changes to Fortnite’s mechanical Brute today. The Brute now does less damage, spawns less, and no longer collects materials when it stomps buildings and objects. Epic outlined the changes in a post titled “B.R.U.T.E Balance Adjustments.” The Brute now fires a max of six rockets…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 22, 2019 -
Fortnite Season 10 Is A Bust
There was a lot of player excitement in the run-up to Fortnite’s Season 10, with early hints suggesting the return of old, beloved landmarks like Dusty Depot to the game’s constantly-changing map. When the new season arrived earlier this month, it brought those teased map changes, but it also brought a host of other additions…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 22, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanA Complicated-Looking Way To Hold PlayStation Controllers
Years back, Kotaku reported on an inventive way to hold a DualShock and play From Software’s mecha game Armored Core. Now in 2019, it’s back. In Japanese, this grip style is called densetsu no AC mochi (伝説のAC持ち) or “legendary Armored Core grip.” This grip style is so legendary in Japan that it’s even made a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 20, 2019 -
Epic Says The Mech Was Added So More Players Can Win A Fortnite Match
Fortnite’s giant mechanical Brutes have been contentious among players since they arrived at the start of Season 10. Players have been calling for them to be removed from the game, or at least from competitive play. Today, developer Epic responded to the calls to remove the mechs. Fortnite seems to be keeping them, because according…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 15, 2019 -
Why Players Are Mad About Fortnite Selling A Dog [Update: Dog Will Be Refunded]
The latest batch of cosmetics for sale in Fortnite’s item shop seems to feature a familiar furry face. For 1000 V-Bucks, players can get Gunner, a wearable pet that looks awfully similar to Bonesy, a wearable pet from season 6. Bonesy was one of the first pets Epic released for Fortnite, as part of the…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 14, 2019 -
Fortnite’s Teenage World Champ Swatted Live On Stream
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, the newly-crowned 16 year-old Fortnite World Cup solo champion, was playing the game in a stream last night when his home was “swatted” Because he streaming live on Twitch, we’ve got video recorded at the time the cops arrive, and in the middle of a game we can hear as he’s interrupted…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 12, 2019 -
Ninja Understandably Upset That His Old Twitch Channel Was Promoting A Porn Stream [Update]
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who recently left his 14 million-follower Twitch account behind to go and stream on rival platform Mixer, has issued a statement labelled “disgusted and so sorry” today after that now-dormant account—which he no longer operates—was promoting streams from other users, including one broadcasting pornography. Ninja obviously has no control over that Twitch…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2019 -
CultureFortnite‘s Unpopular Mechs Will Stay In Competitive Play [Updated]
Fortnite’s giant mechs, called Brutes, have been an unpopular addition to the game’s season 10. In a blog post today, developer Epic announced that the mechs will be staying in the game’s competitive mode, but with a tweak. Many players still don’t feel that tweak is enough. Some Fortnite players believe the Brutes are overpowered,…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 9, 2019 -
CultureTwitchThe Top Streamers On Twitch Now That Ninja’s Gone
Last week, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, much like his namesake, crept out of the figurative building—flanked on all sides by fanfare, cascading grey-blue mountains of Red Bull, and ill-considered jokes. Soon, he made his presence known under a different roof: Mixer, Microsoft’s competitor to Twitch. Blevins has left behind a void. The question is, who will…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 8, 2019 -
CultureSplitscreenFortnite Is All About The Kids (And The Aesthetics)
The Fortnite World Cup was packed with young faces, both attendees and competitors. Unlike many other esport events, this one had a kid-friendly, earnest vibe that dovetailed well with the chaotic playground atmosphere of Fortnite. Kotaku editor-at-large Riley MacLeod came on Kotaku Splitscreen this week to talk about his coverage of the Fortnite World Cup…
By Maddy Myers Published August 8, 2019 -
Mechs Are The Latest Shiny Toy Shaking Up Fortnite‘s Players
Fortnite’s Season 10 launched this morning. Besides bringing back past location Dusty Depot and changing up the battle pass, the new season added mechs to the game. The mechs require two players to pilot, and they look big and dangerous. They’re probably a lot of fun to play, though I wouldn’t know—they keep wrecking me…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 1, 2019 -
It Sure Is Tough To Be A Titanfall Fan Right Now
On Thursday morning, Titanfall was trending on Twitter in the U.S.—not because anything remotely Titanfall related actually happened, but because Fortnite’s new season added mechs. It’s a hard comparison to resist, now that Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment is running its own battle royale game in Apex Legends—a game that feels an awful lot like Titanfall…
By Joshua Rivera Published August 1, 2019 -
CultureNew Fortnite Season Adds Titans (I Mean Mechs) [Updated]
The new season of Fortnite started earlier today and brought a new round of surprise changes. The most titanic one to drop? A new two-player mech called the B.R.U.T.E. The new vehicle is showcased in a trailer for Fortnite Season 10 (or X, as they’re calling it). An official blog post outlining the seasonal changes…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 1, 2019 -
CultureThe Fortnite World Cup Was A Kids’ Paradise
The people who filled Queens, New York’s Arthur Ashe tennis stadium for this weekend’s Fortnite World Cup were people who love Fortnite, or at least those people and their parents. The bulk of the attendees I saw were young kids, swimming in soccer shorts and baggy Fortnite t-shirts. They performed the game’s emote dances. They…
By Riley MacLeod Published July 30, 2019 -
Fortnite World Cup Players Who Didn’t Score Have A Sense Of Humor About It
The point spread at today’s Fortnite World Cup Solo finals was massive, with winner Bugha scoring 26 points more than second place finisher Psalm. But not everyone can win: Four players came away with zero points, but—at least on Twitter—they were good sports about it. All of today’s 100 Solo finals competitors are immensely skilled…
By Riley MacLeod Published July 28, 2019