LEGO Fortnite might be the biggest surprise hit this year, ditching the typical battle royale mechanics for a survival sim with crafting elements and Souls combat. This game-within-a-game is such a huge hit right now that fans are playing the LEGO spin-off more than the battle royale itself.
According to Fortnite.gg (via GameRant), the LEGO spin-off currently has more players than the original battle royale game. Currently, at the time of writing, LEGO Fortnite has yet to fall under 2 million players, making it twice as popular as the battle royale mode.
It’s fair to say that no one saw this coming, as most of us just expected a simple reskin of the Fortnite formula, albeit, with LEGO models instead. However, the devs at Epic Games have gone above and beyond making this mode work, giving players a refined survival sim with cool monsters to fight.
That’s not to say the current Fortnite brand is any weaker, as the free-to-play shooter is arguably the most popular video game currently available. Recently, the battle royale added celebrities like Eminem and gaming icon Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series. Fortnite “losing” to a mode within the game that still makes Epic money is still a huge win for the company.
Now, not everything surrounding LEGO Fortnite has been good news, despite solid combat and a surprising amount of large enemies. Some players recently decided to recreate 9/11 in the game, one of the most tasteless things we’ve seen in a while. While the players were likely suspended, it’s going to be hard enforcing this rule when LEGO is all about creating what you want.
Amazingly, LEGO Fortnite is just the beginning, as Epic Games is already expanding the brand to other gaming genres. Fortnite Festival, a music spin-off from Guitar Hero developer Harmonix, is essentially Guitar Hero or Rock Band set in this crazy crossover world. Expect to see even more crazy outings from the brand as the years go on.
Read More: All Fortnite LEGO skins
LEGO Fortnite is a mode within Fortnite, so players who want to try this title out will need to download the latter. Thankfully, it’s a free download readily available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and the Epic Games Store.