Fortnite (Our Favorite Brands) 1645190137, 9781645190134

Citation preview

Today’s most popular brands have given us iconic movies, exciting video games, and beloved toys. Some brands affect our lives in ways we don’t even realize. The Our Favorite Brands series looks at brands’ histories, their merchandise, and the ways they touch lives around the world.

OUR FAVORITE BRANDS OUR FAVORITE BRANDS

OUR FAVORITE BRANDS

www.kscopebooks.com

Other Titles in This Series:

F O R T NI T E

FORTNITE The Story Behind the Brand

Huddleston

ISBN: 978-1-64519-013-4

www.kscopebooks.com 9 781645 190134

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OUR FAVORITE BRANDS

FORTNITE By Emma Huddleston

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The Quest for Discovery Never Ends This edition is co-published by agreement between Kaleidoscope and World Book, Inc. Kaleidoscope Publishing, Inc. 6012 Blue Circle Drive Minnetonka, MN 55343 U.S.A.

World Book, Inc. 180 North LaSalle St., Suite 900 Chicago IL 60601 U.S.A.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publishers. Kaleidoscope ISBNs 978-1-64519-013-4 (library bound) 978-1-64494-178-2 (paperback) 978-1-64519-113-1 (ebook) World Book ISBN 978-0-7166-4313-5 (library bound) Library of Congress Control Number 2019939227 Text copyright ©2020 by Kaleidoscope Publishing, Inc. All-Star Sports, Bigfoot Books, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Kaleidoscope Publishing, Inc. Printed in the United States of America.

FIND ME IF YOU CAN! Bigfoot lurks within one of the images in this book. It’s up to you to find him!

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS Chapter 1: World’s Largest Battle Royale Game............ 4 Chapter 2: History of Fortnite...........................................10 Chapter 3: More than a Game..........................................16 Chapter 4: Fortnite around the World............................22 Beyond the Book.......................................................... 28 Research Ninja.............................................................. 29 Further Resources........................................................ 30 Glossary......................................................................... 31 Index............................................................................... 32 Photo Credits................................................................. 32 About the Author.......................................................... 32

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CHAPTER 1

Fortnite: Battle Royale can be played on many different gaming platforms.

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World’s Largest Battle Royale Game Alex started her Xbox. Fortnite: Battle Royale came on the screen. She couldn’t wait to play. One hundred people played each round. The goal was to be the last player or squad standing. It was easy to find friends to play with. Battle Royale is a free game. People can play on many video game platforms.

FUN FACT

Fortnite became

available for Nintendo Switch on June 12, 2018.

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Alex spawned as a character with short dark hair. She formed a team. Her friend Jon played on his computer. Her brother played on his phone. He used skins. Skins change the way a character looks. But they don’t change skill level. Her brother used a tomato head skin. His character held an axe. It looked like a pizza cutter.

Players can use a variety of skins that change their avatars’ appearances.

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The round started. The blue Battle Bus came on Alex’s screen. It flew across the Fortnite map. Players jumped out at different spots. Alex’s team fell to the ground. The team was at Risky Reels. The area had a movie theater. Jon cut down a tree for wood. He built a ramp. They traveled around the map. They built things. They fought other players. Jon threw a Boogie Bomb. It made another player’s avatar dance. Jon took his chance. He took out the other avatar.

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There was a storm happening. Alex and her team were in the safe zone. But the safe zone shrinks and changes. This forces players together. This way, they have to fight. Only one player or squad can win. Alex and her team made it back to Risky Reels. Suddenly, the ground shook. A huge square of concrete dropped from the sky. It crushed the movie theater. Alex gasped. It was the Block. Players could build new areas in Fortnite: Creative. The Block would show off their creations.

FUN FACT Fortnite has many in-game events. For Halloween 2018, the event was called Fortnitemares.

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A purple storm moves players closer together so that they have to fight each other.

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CHAPTER 2

FUN FACT Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney started the company when he was still in college.

History of Fortnite Roger Collum made video games. He worked at Epic Games in 2011. Epic was creating something new. It wanted to stay fresh in the industry. Collum and his team came up with different ideas. They’d made good shooting games before. Now, games like Minecraft were popular. Players liked to build things. The team decided to mix game styles. 10

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The development of a modern video game may take several years of hard work.

The team got to work. It made Fortnite: Save the World. Teams of four players worked together. They went on missions. They tried to survive. The game was unique. Other games from Epic were dark. But Fortnite wasn’t. The graphics looked like cartoons. Collum said the

developers were showing people their inner kid.

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Fortnite: Save the World came out on July 25, 2017. It cost $40 to play. It had more than one million players by August 19. Epic had created a hit. Players made suggestions. These gave Epic a new idea. Epic rushed to create a new mode. It was called Fortnite: Battle Royale. It came out just two months after Save the World. It was free. Epic was surprised it became popular so quickly. Battle Royale had ten million players in its first two weeks. It was played more than the original. Players had more ideas. Some asked for a city. Epic made Tilted Towers. It had tall buildings. Epic also added Shifty Shafts. It had tunnels and mines. Dark corners and tight spaces added a new thrill.

Fortnite: Battle Royale became wildly popular within just a few months. It continues to attract new players with regular updates and exciting in-game events.

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Epic wants players to be creative. This led to a third game mode. Fortnite: Creative came out on December 6, 2018. That day, the Block landed on the map. Creative mode gives players four islands. Players can build and design on the islands. They have new tools and more freedom.

WHAT IS EPIC GAMES? Epic Games makes Fortnite. Epic started in 1991. It made many famous games. It made shooters like Gears of War. These games were dark. The cartoony Fortnite was a big change.

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FORTNITE

TIMELINE 1991 Epic Games begins developing video games.

1991

July 25, 2017 Fortnite: Save the World is released.

2011 2011 The development of Fortnite begins.

2017



September 26, 2017 Fortnite: Battle Royale is released.

December 2017 Emotes and emoticons are added to the game.

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2018 Fortnite player Ninja becomes the biggest streamer on Twitch.

June 30, 2018 Millions of Fortnite players log in to watch a rocket launch. The rocket leaves a giant crack in the sky.

July 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals are held.

July 2018 Fortnite has generated more than $1 billion in in-game purchases. October 2018 McFarlane Toys releases Fortnite action figures.

2018

2019 December 6, 2018 Fortnite: Creative is released.

January 2018 Fortnite releases a map update with new locations like Tilted Towers, Shifty Shafts, and more.

March 2018 Cross-platform play becomes available.

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CHAPTER 3

More than a Game Tom bought a Fortnite Battle Pass. It was for the new season. It cost about $10. The pass let him earn more rewards. He could get skins and emotes. His friends loved emotes. Some of them were based on viral videos. His friends did the dances in the hall at school.

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Emotes have become a major part of Fortnite.

Tom logged in at the start of Season 7. Players around him wore new skins. He saw someone dressed in the Lynx skin. Another player wore a onesie. It had burgers on it. Suddenly, a player swung an axe at Tom. He had to watch out!

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After the Season 6 update, players could bring pets, including dogs, dragons, and chameleons, into battle.

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Tom went to Polar Peak. It was a new area this season. New seasons came out every ten weeks. They kept the game fresh. Sometimes the map changed. This was the first time it had snow and ice. Epic added pets in Season 6. Tom got a dog. It rode on his avatar’s back.

FUN FAC T Pet

hamste rs, huskies , foxes, and more h ave bec ome availab le since p et were in troduce s d.

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Last year, Tom’s friend Matt had a Fortnite birthday party. People wore themed clothes. One girl’s T-shirt had Fortnite characters on it. The characters wore Rabbit Raider and Bunny Brawler skins. Matt got Fortnite gifts. Tom gave him a Party Animal Pickaxe. Someone gave Matt action figures. They looked like characters from the game.

Fortnite clothes, toys, games, and more are available for fans to purchase.

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Tom loves all of the merchandise. It brings the game to life. But he still likes playing online. He makes buildings. He fights with odd weapons. Tom has to be creative to win.

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CHAPTER 4

Fortnite around the World Meg plays softball. She plays right field. She and her family go to a Kansas City Royals game. Her cap keeps the sun out of her eyes. She sees Brett Phillips warming up. He’s a right fielder, too. But that’s not all they have in common. Meg and Phillips both play Fortnite. The game starts. Phillips catches a ball in the first inning. Meg claps and looks at the big screen on the field. Once, Phillips played Fortnite on a screen like this one. 22

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Many famous athletes are fans of Fortnite, and some have even played it on huge screens at baseball fields.

Meg can’t imagine playing Fortnite on such a big screen. She just uses her laptop. Meg likes that all kinds of people play Fortnite. It’s not just for kids. Famous people and athletes play, too. Josh Hart plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has Fortnite shoes.

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Han lives in Hangzhou, China. Some people call it the esports capital of the world. Han loves Battle Royale tournaments. They’re exciting to watch.

Amateurs can play against pros. Han dreams of being a pro gamer. He wants to be like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. Ninja is a pro gamer from the United States. Thousands of people watch him play every day. He plays Fortnite on Twitch. Twitch lets gamers share videos. Gamers livestream while they play.

AWARDS FROM THE BEGINNING Fortnite won many awards in 2018. Two were Golden Joystick Awards. It won Ultimate Game of the Year. It also won five Gamers’ Choice Awards.

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Fortnite tournaments have become major esports events that attract audiences to watch gamers compete.

FUN FACT Ninja makes more than $500,000 a month playing Fortnite on Twitch. 25

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HOW MANY PEOPLE

PLAY FORTNITE? Oct. 2017: Nov. 2017: Dec. 2017:

10 million 20 million 30 million

Jan. 2018:

45 million

June 2018:

125 million

Nov. 2018: Mar. 2019:

200 million 250 million

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Tyler “Ninja” Blevins plays Fortnite professionally. He streams videos of his games on Twitch.

Han doesn’t really watch TV. He plays or watches Fortnite instead. It’s a popular form of entertainment. It even competes with streaming services. Netflix loses more viewers to Fortnite than to other TV and movie services. Han watches Ninja to learn new skills. This helps him. Han watched Ninja play Battle Royale on March 14, 2018. It was already March 15 in China. Ninja was playing with Drake. Drake is a famous rapper. They played on the same team. More than 635,000 people watched them play. Fortnite was a hit from the start. It changed the video game industry. The game stays fresh with its updates. And it lets players get creative. It’s no wonder that people around the world love Fortnite. 27

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BEYOND

THE BOOK After reading the book, it’s time to think about what you learned. Try the following exercises to jumpstart your ideas.

THINK THAT’S NEWS TO ME. Think about when Fortnite: Creative was released on December 6, 2018. Consider how news sources might be able to fill in more detail on the event. What new information could be found in news articles? Where could readers go to find those news sources?

CREATE PRIMARY SOURCES. Primary sources provide firsthand accounts of an event. Interviews, videos, and photographs are all examples of primary sources. Create a list of the kinds of primary sources you might be able to find on Fortnite.

SHARE WHAT’S YOUR OPINION? Fortnite offers both Battle Royale and

Creative. The text states that Creative gives players more freedom than Battle Royale. Do you agree with that position? Find evidence for or against it from the text. Share your opinion and evidence with a friend. Does your friend find the argument convincing?

GROW DRAWING CONNECTIONS. Create a diagram that shows and

explains connections between Fortnite and the video game industry. How does learning about the video game industry help you better understand Fortnite?

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RESEARCH NINJA Visit www.ninjaresearcher.com/0134 to learn how to take your research skills and book report writing to the next level!

RESEARCH SEARCH LIKE A PRO Learn about how to use search engines to find useful websites.

TEXT DETECTIVE

Explore how to zero in on the information you need most.

DIGITAL LITERACY TOOLS

FACT OR FAKE?

Discover how you can tell a trusted website from an untrustworthy resource.

SHOW YOUR WORK Research responsibly— learn how to cite sources.

WRITE GET TO THE POINT Learn how to express your main ideas.

PLAN OF ATTACK

Learn p prewriting exercises and create an outline. DOWNLOADA

R EPOR T FOR MS

BLE

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Further Resources BOOKS Bedell, J. M. So, You Want to be a Coder?: The Ultimate Guide to a Career in Programming, Video Game Creation, Robotics, and More! Aladdin / Beyond Words, 2016. Edwards, Sue Bradford. Professional Gaming Careers. Norwood House Press, 2017. Kuhn, Damien. The Fortnite Guide to Staying Alive: Tips and Tricks for Every Kind of Player. Andrews McMeel, 2018. WEBSITES

Factsurfer.com gives you a safe, fun way to find more information. 1. Go to www.factsurfer.com. 2. Enter “Fortnite” into the search box and click

.

3. Select your book cover to see a list of related websites.

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Glossary amateurs: Amateurs are people who don’t get paid for doing a certain activity. Professional gamers can make money by playing Fortnite, but amateurs can still compete against them. avatar: An avatar is a character that represents a player in video games. Many Fortnite players buy skins for their avatar to wear. developers: Developers are people who create new products. Video game developers worked quickly to create Fortnite: Battle Royale in just two months. emotes: In Fortnite, emotes are actions or dance moves. Players can buy new emotes for their characters. esports: Esports are organized video game competitions where gamers play for audiences. Fortnite: Battle Royale is often played at esports events. graphics: Graphics are drawings and pictures, particularly ones made on a computer. The graphics in Fortnite are brightly colored and cartoonish. industry: An industry is a category of businesses that offer the same type of product or service. Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the video game industry. merchandise: Merchandise are the products sold by a brand, such as clothing or toys. The Fortnite brand sells merchandise like T-shirts, plush toys, and action figures. spawned: When a character or object in a video game has spawned, it has come to life within the game. The Fortnite character spawned before the game started.

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Index battle passes, 16–17 Blevins, Tyler “Ninja,” 15, 24–25, 27 Block, the, 8, 13 Collum, Roger, 10–11 Creative, 8, 13, 15 emotes, 14, 16 Epic Games, 10–13, 14, 19 esports, 24

graphics, 11, 13 Hart, Josh, 23 maps, 7, 13, 15, 19 merchandise, 15, 20–21 pets, 19 Phillips, Brett, 22–23 platforms, 5–6, 15, 23

Save the World, 11–12, 14 seasons, 16–17, 19 skins, 6, 16–17, 20 Sweeney, Tim, 10 Twitch, 15, 24, 25, 27 weapons, 6–7, 17, 20–21

PHOTO CREDITS The images in this book are reproduced through the courtesy of: Lenscap Photography/ Shutterstock Images, front cover (background); Edmund O’Connor/Shutterstock Images, front cover (right); Shutterstock Images, front cover (bottom left); David Mirzoeff/PA Wire URN:37485735/Press Association/AP Images, front cover (top left), pp. 3, 14 (bottom); Jennie Book/Shutterstock Images, pp. 4–5; Konstantin Savusia/Shutterstock Images, pp. 6, 26 (tablet); Michael Moloney/Shutterstock Images, pp. 6–7, 18–19, 30; JJFarq/Shutterstock Images, pp. 8–9; Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Images, pp. 10–11; Nicolas Maeterlinck 0032475310634/Belga/ Newscom, pp. 12–13; Edmund O’Connor/Shutterstock Images, p. 14 (top); Red Line Editorial, p. 26 (graph); Sean P. Aune/Shutterstock Images, pp. 15 (top), 15 (bottom); Greg Doherty/ Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images, pp. 16–17; Ricky Kresslein/Shutterstock Images, p. 17; Piranhi/Shutterstock Images, p. 19; Kriengkrai Kontasorn/Shutterstock Images, pp. 20–21; Simona Olteanu/Shutterstock Images, p. 21; Andy King/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images, pp. 22–23; Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock Images, pp. 24–25; Joe Gall/Red Bull Content Pool/AP Images, p. 27.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Emma Huddleston enjoys reading and swing dancing. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband. 32

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