In a surprising turn of events, Fortnite beat out the likes of God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Marvel’s Spider-Man at this year’s Golden Joystick Awards. Though the game has been a whirlwind in the community, it is still a shock to see it beat out such tough contenders despite its accessibility.
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Here are the nominees that Epic Games’ online title beat out for this year’s “Ultimate Game of the Year” award:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Celeste
- Dead Cells
- Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age
- Fortnite Battle Royale
- Forza Horizon 4
- God of War
- Into The Breach
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Monster Hunter: World
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Subnautica
Red Dead Redemption 2 was a close second, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 coming in third place. Even Epic Games PR Head Nick Chester was surprised, sharing his thanks over on his Twitter account:
Uh, woah. That’s a hell of an award name. Thank you! ❤️❤️ //t.co/D1Dq1p9kir
— Nick “Unusual Spending” Chester (@nickchester) November 16, 2018
Fortnite is a game that is everywhere, even mainstream media. Whether you’re into the popular online title is irrelevant. The wild surge in popularity began when Epic Games made their free-to-play Battle Royale debut alongside their pre-existing Save the World mode in an era where PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds reigned supreme. Despite being called a “copycat” upon its revelation, it quickly skyrocketed towards popularity, even dethroning PUBG itself during its rise to fame.
Another huge check mark in Fortnite’s corner is that not only is it free-to-play, but it’s also cross platform. PC players can play with Xbox, Xbox can play with mobile, PlayStation 4 players can play with everyone; it’s a melting pot of playability. Give a game accessibility and affordability, and then make the game itself good. It’s a winning combination, and one that Epic Games nailed.
The full list of winners will be revealed on December 6th, though we did share earlier today that CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 took home the “Most Wanted Game” award as well!
As for the game itself, Fortnite is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.
