Fortnite draws 10.5 million in Zero Hour, launches Chapter 7

"Zero Hour, Fortnite's recent event which marked the end of Chapter 6, drew a crowd of 10.5 million players into the game, with several million people following what was happening via livestreams. What they saw can only be described as a fever dream: Characters like Iron Man and Godzilla teamed up with the cast of K-Pop Demon Hunters and Hatsune Miku to defeat Fortnite's villain of the week, the Dark Presence. If anyone had a bet running on Hatsune Miku shooting a laser beam while riding Godzilla at any point this year, they would have won big this past weekend."

"The battle royale's chapter-ending events always bring together the thin threads of lore Epic Games is spinning throughout its updates and have grown in scale over the years. With the Dark Presence defeated, it looks like Epic is shifting the focus back to the original story of the game, which revolves around a group of heroes -- the Seven -- keeping The Last Reality, a hostile alien civilization, in check."

"Following tradition, Chapter 7 brings a brand-new map to Fortnite -- and it looks to be inspired by the United States. There's an area called Battlewood that's clearly based on Hollywood (the iconic sign being a sure giveaway) and the Fortnite version of Area 51, to name two examples. Fans will have to wait and see how Epic Games plans on topping Zero Hour -- there'll be a lot of updates between now and Chapter 8, which means lots of time to develop the story and bring in a new wave of crossovers."

Zero Hour marked the end of Fortnite Chapter 6 and drew 10.5 million players, with several million watching livestreams. The event staged surreal crossovers where characters such as Iron Man and Godzilla joined K-Pop Demon Hunters and Hatsune Miku to defeat the Dark Presence. With the Dark Presence defeated, focus appears to return to the game's original narrative centered on the Seven resisting The Last Reality, a hostile alien civilization. Chapter 7 introduces a new, United States–inspired map including Battlewood, a Hollywood homage, and a Fortnite version of Area 51. Ongoing updates before Chapter 8 will expand the story and future crossovers.

Read at ESPN.com