Battle royale’s rise could dramatically change esports

Since Fortnite: Battle Royale’s inception in September 2017, battle royale has become one of the dominant genres in gaming. While this gamestyle isn’t new — H1Z1 (January 2015) was an early example of a game in this space — these types of multiplayer online shooters have gotten more sophisticated. In order to understand the impact and magnitude of the genre within the gaming community, it’s important to take a step back and analyze the origins of battle royale and its eventual rise to video game fame — and its role as a potential future for esports.

A brief history

At its core, battle royale is essentially an online video game version of the “Hunger Games,” with the goal of being the last player (or team) standing. In short, hundreds of players are dropped onto a virtual island with nothing to help them survive other than their ability to think logically and strategically. Similar to Katniss’ cornucopia of supplies, battle royale players are left to find — and fight for — the tools they need to survive including weapons, ammo, and armor.