Epic Games' Fornite continues to dominate the battle royale genre, and the industry as a whole, as the popular free-to-play title finally arrives on the Nintendo Switch. E3 2018 promised big presentations across the board, but Nintendo offered a supersized Nintendo Direct video presentation with announcements including the biggest ever Smash Bros. game, Super Mario Party, and the long-awaited news that Fornite fans can now play on all the next-gen consoles.

Clocking up an insane 125 million players just a year after launch and earning $300 million in April alone despite being free-to-play and having no loot boxes, Fortnite continues to grab headlines (and celebrity players) away from other battle royale titles including chief competitor PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and upcoming titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V which are including the popular mode. Fornite had already been teased on the Switch for a while, but fans can now suit up and put another 99 players in their sights as the rumors have turned to fact.

A shrewd marketing move sees Fortnite available to download immediately and for free on the Switch to undoubtedly help push the console's sales even higher. Epic Games promises, "Same gameplay, same map, same content, same weekly updates. With Switch, players can squad up with their friends in the same room or around the world, and even play on the go." If games like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey weren't enough to persuade gamers to part with their cash and buy the portable console, recent titles like Wolfenstein II and now Fortnite are just another reason. The Switch may lack the grunt of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X under the hood, but Nintendo isn't worried to rub shoulders with its biggest rivals.


Not everything is a bed of roses though and some fans already complaining about the jump to Switch. Those who connected their Epic Games account to play Fortnite on the PS4 are told they will have to create a new login for Switch. This means that all that hard-earned content won't be coming with them to the Nintendo version and they cannot cross-play togethger. Epic Games also confirmed that the Save The World co-op mode (what the original Fortnite was all about) won't be coming to the Nintendo version. Finally, Fornite isn't a traditional port and won't (currently) contain any Nintendo-themed content. Those hoping to dash around in a Mario Kart car or run into a dancing Bowser may be a little disappointed.

That being said, there is plenty to be excited about from Fortnite hitting the Switch in the midst of season 4. Cashing in on the portability of the Switch, players can now take Fornite on the move more than ever and enjoy more fluid controls rather than playing on their phone. Available on PC, consoles, and iOS, it seems like there is no stopping Fornite at the moment. With an Android version planned for later this year and Fornite earning the title of most-played multiplayer out there right now, Epic Games is one step closer to ruling the world of battle royale gaming.