Epic Games’ Doomsday event announced the end of Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2. The event drew massive attention by Fortnite fans even as there were fundamental changes to the battle royale map.
With the ominous setting and a possible simulation reference, Fortnite fans are eagerly awaiting the release of Chapter 3 on June 17.
We were overwhelmed by the response to The Device. At 12M players in-game, we capped participation for stability while 8.4M more watched live on Twitch + YouTube. As we push the edge of what live-events can be, we’re improving systems so more of you can experience them in-game. pic.twitter.com/YTycsB1Zoh
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) June 16, 2020
The doomsday event broke all Twitch records for concurrent viewership. Over 2.3 million Fortnite fans tuned in on Twitch to watch the map being submerged in water and the device’s activation. Riot Games’ League of Legends held the previous record when it reached 1.7 million concurrent viewers during its 2019 edition.
Fortnite’s record-breaking stream did not get off to a splendid start. Within a few minutes of allowing players to get in-game to view the event live, Epic Games had to announce that its servers had reached full capacity. The game developed capped the server capacity at twelve million. A large section of the Fortnite community could not view the event live in-game.
Since I couldn’t get in, I’m going to watch the event live on @OMGitsAliA – so AliA you better make it look awesome!!! 🧐
— Donald Mustard (@DonaldMustard) June 15, 2020
This boosted the game’s viewership numbers, no doubt. With over 2.3 million fans on Twitch and a significantly higher number (6.1 million) on YouTube, the Doomsday event was a runaway success. YouTube has a much higher viewer base giving it a head-start in drawing attention from non-endemic viewers. Streamers like Lazerbeam clocked in over 960,000 concurrent viewers.
Epic Games constantly pulls off mega-events like these and have done so successfully in the past. Epic Games has repeatedly postponed the end of Season 2, with the latest reason being the COVID-19 coronavirus. Season 3 presents an opportunity for Epic Games to revamp the entire map. With initial rumors suggesting a flood that will wash over the map (it seems to be a possibility now), battle royale players can expect an exciting start to Season 3.