Fortnite almost didn’t happen according to ex-Epic production director

Can you imagine a world without Fortnite? Well, according to a new interview Game Informer conducted, that was a very real possibility. We certainly would be missing a very key franchise in the esports scene. Back when Fortnite was in the very early stages of its development, Rob Ferguson, who was Epic’s production director, actually tried to cancel the series. This is a little bit surprising to hear. Ferguson left the company back in 2012. During the interview with Game Informer, he explains the situation:

If I stayed at Epic, I would have canceled Fortnite. Before I left, I tried to cancel Fortnite. When it was Save the World, that was a project that had some challenges. As the director of production at the time, that game would not have passed my bar for something we should have continued to keep going… That game you love, the worldwide sensation, would not exist had I stayed at Epic.

Obviously, it’s a very good thing he left Epic or Fortnite and the many people who now make careers out of playing it wouldn’t be successful. Clearly, Ferguson couldn’t see the potential for the game at the time and just wanted to ax it. He now works as the head of The Coalition, which is the developer behind Gears of War.

Fortnite set the bar for all battle royale-style games

Fortnite first hit the scene back in July 2017 with its Save the World co-op zombie shooter type mode. It wasn’t until September 2017 when Epic released the added Battle Royale mode we all know and love that it really took off. Now nearly two years later, look at where it is, literally still dominating the now packed world of battle royale games and reaching the forefront in competitive esports, Twitch streams, and more. Other games like Apex Legends may not exist if it weren’t for Fortnite‘s explosive popularity.

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