Fortnite, in many ways, conforms to the traditional formula of battle royales, including essential features such as players starting with minimal equipment, growing their inventory by collecting loot, and trying to eliminate as many players as possible. However, the mechanic which defined and set Fortnite apart from other games in the genre has been building.
Image Credit: Epic Games
Building in Fortnite has evolved into a highly demanding skill throughout the years, driving both casual and pro players to constantly increase and perfect their abilities. However, staying competitive can be tiring and challenging for many. As a result, even though Epic Games developers were attentively listening to the Fortnite community and keeping the game fresh, Fortnite saw a gradual decline in players.
Determined to reignite the love for Fortnite among casual players and streamers, Epic experimented with various limited game modes such as Ice Storm, Catch! and High Explosives. However, it wasn’t until the introduction of Zero Build that the community began to surge back to Fortnite. Introduced with Chapter 3, Season 2, Zero Build removed any form of structure building from the game entirely, leaving players to match their mechanical prowess, creativity, and game understanding in open-field deathmatches.
Zero Build was an instant hit that both brought back lapsed players, but also intrigued many new players. As a result, Epic brought back Zero Build permanently with the v20.00 update. Since Zero Build today is an absolutely necessary game mode, many can’t help but wonder if Zero Build will eventually replace Fortnite’s original battle royale.
A Brief History of Fortnite & The Imminent Rise of Zero Build
Initially, Fortnite was designed as a PvE action-building co-op game, which subsequently became known as Fortnite: Save the World. In Save the World, players work together to collect loot, gather materials, and build forts in order to repel monster invasions. However, seeing the sheer success of titles like Player Unknown’s BattleGrounds, Fortnite developers focused on developing a similar battle royale game mode that included building as a central feature.. With that, Fortnite as we know it today was born.
In time, players’ knowledge and understanding of the game and their building skills reached incredible heights, demanding excessive practice and playtime to keep up with others. Unfortunately, this resulted in a massive decline of the player base. Were it not for Epic’s inexhaustible efforts and experiments, Fortnite would have surely fallen off dramatically, as many games before and after it have. However, with the launch of Zero Build, the servers were once again teeming with players who jumped at the opportunity to play Fortnite without the hassle of learning how to build in a tremendously competitive environment.
The Influence of Zero Build on Fortnite
Zero Build had been set up for major success since its release due to the enduring popularity of battle royales, Fortnite’s well-developed map, and Epic’s diligence regarding game maintenance and development. Since Zero Build finally eliminated the need for building, many streamers, pro players, and casual players, who had previously given up their favorite game due to its monotonous nature and burnout, came back to the game interested in the new challenges they may face.
Zero Build has also been a golden ticket for new players to get into Fortnite, since they could experience the wonders the Fortnite map can offer and learn the basics of the game without learning how to build the towers of Babylon.
Besides, Zero Build welcomed not only casual players looking to have fun in Fortnite, but also players seeking to prove their mechanical skills, game knowledge, and the art of improvisation.
Will Zero Build Ruin Fortnite?
From the moment launched Zero Build as a permanent feature, the Fortnite community became rather divided into regular Zero Build enjoyers and vocal skeptics advocating that Zero Build will ruin Fortnite. According to some diehards, Zero Build will never replace the traditional battle royale since it, at its core, lacks Fornite’s defining feature: building.
In their view, Fortnite currently can host only one competitive game mode, the original battle royale since the esports community is already familiar with the concept of building. Besides, they believe introducing Zero Build to professional play would only divide the Fortnite community and harm esport viewership. Additionally, they believe Zero Build should only remain a casual and fun game mode for new players and content creators since Zero Build, in their opinion, is a lesser-skilled and less exciting game option due to its lack of building.
The introduction of Zero Build would indicate that Fortnite, like every other game on the market, is evolving and listening to the community’s needs. Although Zero Build significantly and quickly increased the player base, it is still in its infancy. With this in mind, it’s demanding to clearly predict the future of Zero Build and Fortnite as a whole. However, since Zero Build emphasized the numerous flaws of the building mechanic, welcomed new and old players, and opened up the game for both casual and pro play, we believe that Zero Build, undeniably, has a bright future in Fortnite. The idea of Zero Build absolutely displacing the battle royale mode in Fortnite is not even worth considering, as the original battle royale mode is highly valued among pro players, streamers, and the veterans.
