Highlights

  • Fortnite has been influential in shaping the battle royale genre, setting the standard for other games with its Battle Pass system and live-service model.
  • Other battle royale games like Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone have borrowed elements from Fortnite while also developing their own unique identities.
  • The latest Fortnite Chapter 5 update introduces new features that draw inspiration from Call of Duty: Warzone, including a train and a weapon mod system, showing how Fortnite now takes inspiration from the games it originally influenced.

It's pretty rare for a new video game genre to come about, but when it does, it usually takes the world by storm for at least a few years. That was exactly the case with the battle royale genre. While battle royale modes have technically been around for over a decade, with Minecraft's Survival Games fan mode being one of the earliest examples, it wasn't until PUBG's release in early 2017 that the genre really took off, and then Fortnite's release later that year took things to stratospheric heights.

Fortnite's battle royale mode needs absolutely no introduction. For the last six years, Fortnite has been one of the most popular multiplayer games on the market, and it's become a hub of all things pop-culture, with massive brands like Marvel, Star Wars, and DC crossing over with the game numerous times over the years. In many ways, Fortnite has set the blueprint for battle royale games that have followed it, but with this latest Chapter, Fortnite might be in the opposite position.

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Fortnite Was the Blueprint for the Battle Royale Genre

While Fortnite wasn't the first battle royale game, it has been the most influential and important, especially when it comes to setting the standard for the rest of the genre moving forward. With the extreme success of Fortnite and its revolutionary Battle Pass system, it didn't take long before other big publishers wanted to jump aboard the same train, and Apex Legends was one of the first to join the club.

Though it managed to stand apart by putting a large emphasis on its hero-shooter-inspired gameplay, Apex Legends still borrowed a few big elements from Fortnite such as a Battle Pass system, and the idea of an ever-evolving live-service model, which to be fair, had been used by big MMOs for a while before Fortnite's release. Then along came Call of Duty: Warzone a few years later. Again, while it managed to stand out thanks to its excellent core mechanics and brand recognition, it did follow in the footsteps of Fortnite.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Borrows Some Big Warzone Features

But while much of the battle royale genre owes at least some of its success to Fortnite, those that are still left standing have had to adapt over time, and develop their own unique sense of identity. Apex Legends continued to double down on its unique ability-centered gameplay, and Call of Duty: Warzone continued to focus on its custom loadouts, more realistic map design, and its Gulag respawn system. The most popular battle royale games no longer need to copy Fortnite to guarantee success, and in fact, it might be going the other way around now.

The latest Fortnite Chapter 5 update brings a whole slew of new features to the game, and Call of Duty: Warzone fans might notice a few familiar elements. Perhaps the most familiar feature is Fortnite's new train, which circles the map and can be boarded to find some rare loot, a feature that Warzone's had since August 2020. Another major similarity is Fortnite's new weapon mod system, which lets players add a series of attachments to their weapons, which has obviously been a staple of the entire Call of Duty franchise since 2007. Even Fortnite's building architecture looks eerily similar to Warzone's, with this Chapter taking a more realistic approach to its art direction. These are all great additions to Fortnite, but it is interesting to see the game now taking inspiration from the battle royale games it originally influenced.