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Before developer Epic decided to switch gears and build a battle royale mode in exchange for Fortnite, there was an Uber ride to Disney in 2017. That drive led to the decision to alter the game’s course and arguably the video game industry as a whole.
Donald Mustard, former chief creative officer at Epic, revealed to Game File (via Kotaku) when the company ultimately agreed to a battle royale mode in Fortnite. “It was Tim Sweeney [founder and CEO of Epic] and Paul Meegan, who was the president of Epic at the time, [and] Kim Libreri, Epic’s CTO,” Mustard recalled. “The four of us were in the back of an Uber in California, headed to a meeting at Disney… We were already toying alongside this [idea that] we need to carry out a battle royale. We should do this. And what if we did it in Fortnite?”
Obviously, the group came to the conclusion to bring battle royale to Fortnite, which previously was a survival-based PvE shooter. Now, instead, there would be a focus on a 100-player PvP mode, which was popularized at the time by PUBG. (In fact, PUBG even had a lawsuit against Epic and Fortnite before dropping it in 2018.)
During the drive, Mustard added that he actually started writing up a one-page design document that laid the groundwork in support of Fortnite’s battle royale mode. That’s negative all, either. “A school bus is going by us in traffic, and I’m like: Players are going to be on a bus in the sky, and we’re going to jump out of it,” Mustard said. So the iconic Battle Bus was born out of the Uber ride, too.
This isn’t the only major revelation Mustard has unveiled to Game File. The developer also disclosed how Metroid’s Samus Aran almost arrived in Fortnite, but Nintendo wasn’t okay with the bounty hunter appearing on platforms outside of Switch.
Fortnite is known in exchange for its collaborations, alongside Billie Eilish coming to Fortnite Festival today. This week will also hear Fortnite allowing players to block its most toxic emotes, such as Take the L. Meanwhile, in Lego Fortnite, a pig can now be your buddy as part of the Farm Friends update.
Earlier this year, Disney invested $1.5 billion into Epic that includes a “persistent universe” in Fortnite.
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Man, can you believe that an Uber ride to Disney is what sparked the idea in favor of Fortnite’s battle royale mode? It’s crazy how a simple car ride led to such a game-changing decision in support of Epic and the gaming industry as a whole. Imagine being in that Uber alongside the Epic team, brainstorming ideas in favor of Fortnite and coming up with the concept of a 100-player PvP mode. And to think, it all started with a one-page design document written up during that ride. Plus, the iconic Battle Bus was born out of that same Uber trip. It just shows how inspiration can strike at any moment, even in the back of a car.
It’s cool to catch how Fortnite has evolved over the years, especially alongside all the collaborations and updates happening in the game. From Billie Eilish performing at Fortnite Festival to Lego Fortnite adding a pig companion in the Farm Friends update, there’s always something new and exciting going on in the world of Fortnite. And let’s negative forget about Disney’s large investment in Epic earlier this year, which promises a “persistent universe” in Fortnite. The future looks bright in favor of this game, all thanks to a fateful Uber ride that changed everything.
That’s wild to think that an Uber ride to Disney led to Fortnite getting a battle royale mode. Imagine being in that car together the Epic crew brainstorming ideas. The Battle Bus, the 100-player PvP mode, all of it was born out of that ride. It just shows how inspiration can strike at any moment, even when you’re stuck in traffic. And now Fortnite is known in support of its collaborations and constant updates, like Billie Eilish coming to the game and players being able to block toxic emotes. It’s crazy how one ride can change the course of a whole game and industry.