If you haven't heard about Fortnite at this point in time you must have been living under a rock. Even if you haven't played it you've likely seen its impact seep into everyday life. Kids around the world have caught Fortnite fever and even sports stars have been showing off their Fortnite dance moves in celebration on the pitch.

With a reported 125 million people having played the game by June 2018, Epic Games are clearly doing something right. There's no doubt that video game developers around the world will be trying to replicate Fortnite's success but what's the secret recipe?

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Adults vs Kids

Fortnite has managed to develop a title that appeals to both adults and children. The game's cartoon-like visuals and appealing colour scheme draw in child gamers. Although the game involves shooting other characters it's not scary. There's no blood or gore and killing enemies results in an explosion of colourful items for you to loot. The guns make basic sounds that aren't intimidating and there are no simulated groans or screams as you fire bullets into other players.

Children enjoy having the ability to choose a fun looking place on the map to guide their character to and there's a feeling of reward as you loot golden treasure chests and look for awesome looking guns in cartoon-like buildings. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, you can jump right back into the action in a matter of seconds for another dose of excitement.

For the parents looking on as their child plays Fortnite, there's a lack of concern for the violence as it's so tame. Compare this to a Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto game and they're worlds apart even though you are still firing weapons at other characters.

For adult gamers, Fortnite offers so much more than its cartoony graphics. To be good at this game there are plenty of mechanics that need to be mastered. The real battles on the map aren't really about being the best shooter in the game but more about having the ability to outbuild your opponent, placing traps, taking advantage of peep lines, and predicting what your opponent is going to do next. It can be extremely frustrating at times, even for long-term gamers.

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Cost

I've been playing Fortnite for some time now and haven't spent a single penny (cent) on it. The battle royale mode is free to download for everyone, and Epic Games are making their money from microtransactions in the form of character skins and customisable items. Thankfully, none of these items have an actual effect on the game other than how your character appears on the screen.

Allowing people to play for free is a great way to build interest if the game is of high quality. Word of mouth is massive in the gaming community and it's easy to convince someone to give Fortnite a try because they don't have to pay to do so. The system works on the basis that once you've tried it, you're hooked.

eSports

With Epic Games announcing that it will provide $100M in prize funds for Fortnite eSports tournaments over 2018/19, there's plenty of reason for people to keep playing this game. YouTubers are making huge amounts of money by uploading Fortnite content and it's helping to create a buzz whenever a new announcement is made. Even if you're not good at the game yourself, this is something that's fun to watch. That wasn't always the case with Call of Duty eSport tournaments.

The future of eSports is surely going to be driven by content creators that can generate high viewing figures like Fortnite has. Just think of all the brands out there who would be willing to sponsor one of these events with millions of viewers. Adults and kids are tuning in all over the world so there is scope for all kinds of advertising.

One thing is for sure, eSports are on the rise and huge reward pools will have kids around the world dreaming of taking centre stage over the next few years. Creating a game that appeals to both children and adults alike has set the precedent for future behemoth titles.