It is no surprise to see soccer players from around the world promoting and openly endorsing video games o social media.
The FIFA franchise has been a long-time popular gaming choice of footballing stars as has the Call of Duty series, but it appears there is a new king in town and it goes by the name of Fortnite.
Stars from multiple clubs around the world such as Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli have taken a shine to the game. But why? After all, what even is Fortnite?
Fortnite – Explained
For those who have absolutely no knowledge of computer games(or simply don’t have kids), Fortnite is a free multiplayer game which pits players against each other in a fight for survival.
Players can team together with players from all over the world and build forts to ward off enemy hordes or attempt to survive, but the game has been a major hit recording over 40 million downloads in 2018.
Each game is around 20 minutes long(or until you get killed) and has attracted gamers of all ages to try and stay alive until the end.
Players can make in-game purchases such as new skins, weapons and an array of tools to aid survival in the game with even the NFL getting involved as players can choose their favourites team kit.
There is a paid version of the game available as well but it is the free version known as Battle Royale that has the raving.
Why have footballers taken to the game?
It is not just star players in England who have been encapsulated by Fortnite.  Atletico Madrid Antoine Griezmann is a well-known Fortnite fan as are players from across Europe’s top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, and France.
One of the reasons why the game has proven so popular for footballers is the celebrations copying moves from characters in the game. In Fortnite these are known as ‘emotes’ and whenever football players score a goal, they have been replicating these moves as a way to celebrate.
There can be no denying that Fortnite is a highly addictive game and the fact that it is free to download has only gone on to propel the popularity of the game even further.
It may be safe to say that at the moment, Fortnite is a trend however an overwhelmingly successful one. Soccer stars were not the first to start playing Fortnite when it came out in 2017, but soon got involved when the popularity of the game suddenly exploded.
For now, at least, it seems Fortnite is going nowhere and the now famous ‘emotes’ will continue to grace soccer pitches all over the globe for some time yet.
