# Fortnite Battle Royale

> Epic reported 3.7 million daily active Battle Royale players within weeks.

- Owner: Epic Games
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 2017-09-12
- Peak date: Week of Jun 16, 2018
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 66 (Viral), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Press loop, Identity badge, Revival, Controversy

## Summary

Epic opened a public test, then made Battle Royale free. Unpaid Twitch play and a YouTube tournament spread alongside sponsored creator campaigns. It became school conversation and a board game; Epic later disclosed over $5 billion in 2018 Fortnite revenue.

## Timeline

- 2017-09-12 — Epic Games (Open web) — Epic announced Battle Royale and opened its playable public test to Fortnite Early Access owners.
- 2017-09-12 — Game Informer (Press) — Game Informer covered the Battle Royale announcement and its Early Access public test.
- 2017-09-26 — Epic Games (Open web) — Epic released Battle Royale for free on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mac.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/fortnite-battle-royale

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Fortnite Battle Royale.” Case HIS-00164. Spread Score v1.2: 66/100. Updated 2026-10-12. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00164