How Fortnite has become the staple for top Brands
It seems like overnight, Fortnite went from being a new trendy game to a unique branding tool for some of the top brands available today. Fortnite has quickly turned itself into one of the highest-grossing games and has done so by consistently aligning itself with pop culture.
Fortnite has become a powerhouse in the world of collaboration, partnering with some of the top brands across several different sectors of the entertainment industry. Since its 2017 launch, Fortnite has produced over 100 collaborations ranging from movies, tv, sports, music, and fashion. But, these partnerships are not always just the simple skin and emote combo we are accustomed to seeing, they are much more than that. The game has become a trailblazer in the video game world, presenting fans with live in-game concerts as well. In this blog, Hollywood Branded discusses some of Fortnites' biggest collaborations in the entertainment industry, and how they grew their game into a branding powerhouse.
History of Fortnite
Unless you live under a rock, you likely have heard of the global sensation known as Fortnite. The game was first released on July 25th, 2017. Fortnite is a battle royal style multiplayer, that offers users several modes to compete with or against their friends to be the last hero standing. Since its release, Fortnite has quickly become one of the largest multiplayer games on the market, with over 350 million active users to date.
Also, while still being a relatively free game, Fortnite has generated billions of dollars in revenue. How is this possible? Fortnite earns the bulk of its revenue by offering users the option to purchase character skins and emotes that change with every season in the game. Although this may have seemed like a risky business plan at first, Fortnite has proven that a game can be free and still be a top earner. With the success of this business model, Fornite was able to attract the attention of several lucrative brands in the entertainment industry, who saw the game as a unique way to advertise.
Fortnite X Film/Television
Of the several types of brands that have done work with Fortnite, Film/Television creators were some of the first to give them a chance. In 2018, the game revealed its very first collaboration with the release of Marvels' Infinity War. This collab not only included new skins and emotes, but also included special gameplay as well.
With the success of this partnership, we quickly saw many more Film/Television professionals rush to recreate the success they saw. This collaboration created an explosion of others for the game including The Matrix, John Wick, Cobra Kai, Stranger thins, and much more. Marvel even chose to swing back around with the recent release of Spiderman: No Way Home. Clearly, the powerhouse found a formula that works for them and attracts others.
Fortnite X Artists
In addition to the many Film/Television collabs Fortnite has produced, the game has also been a trailblazer in the unexpected connection between gaming and music. As someone who is well versed in both industries, this has been some of my favorite content produced from the game. In a time when we were all trapped in the house and unable to attend live shows. Fortnite once again outdid itself collaborating with artists to give users an experience like no other. Working with artists such as Marshmallow, Travis Scott, and J Balvin, creators gave users visually stunning in-game live shows that were very interactive as well.
These partnerships were extremely successful and even broke records drawing over 12.3 million concurrent users during Travis Scott’s performance. This easily shows that Fortnite and its creators have been ahead of the curve.
Fortnite X Sports
Fortnite also broke ground being the first shooter game to gain a Licensed partnership with the NFL, NBA, and FIFA. This collaboration included several players, jerseys, and props related to each sport. With this also came the addition of some of the sports' biggest stars to the game including Lebron James, Neymar Jr., Harry Kane, and Marco Reus. This partnership appeared to be extremely successful and was unexpectedly embraced by the athletes as well.
We now see many athletes using the emotes in the game as their signature celebration, and in turn, Fortnite continues to add these players and celebrations to their game as well. This is just another example of how Fortnite has transcended gaming and brand collaboration across several industries.
Fortnite X Fashion
One of the most unique collaborations we have seen in Fortnite is the work they’ve done with several of the top fashion brands. It’s not often we see games like Fortnite dive into the world of fashion or vice versa. But, the game has somehow managed to do so and do it well. Although simple, these collaborations were very effective for the brands and gave a unique perspective to whatever collections they were dropping at the time. With the first collaboration being with Jordan, Fortnite quickly took it to the next level later working with high fashion brands as well.
Doing work with brands such as Balenciaga and Moncler, Fortnite showed brands there is no limit to what they can do with their game. With this being the first of its kind, I think we will likely see many more partnerships between the gaming and fashion industry as branding continues to evolve.
Eager To Learn More?
Check out these blog posts from our team to learn more about Fortnite, gaming, and all things brand partnerships.
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Why Brands Should Never Pass Over Video Games: A Case Study of Fortnite
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