2 Attachment(s)
A Real-Life Battle Royale Game Could Be A Thing Soon
A millionare battle royale fan wants to recreate their favorite genre in the real world, and is actively seeking others who would be willing to participate. Battle royale is one of the most popular genres of video games, with titles like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and PUBG routinely claiming strong viewership on Twitch and above-average concurrent user numbers on whatever platforms they're available on.
While PlayerUnknown is moving on from battle royales, the genre itself remains thriving. Fortnite has been making moves on the esports scene with its World Cup 2019 tour, which will award $100 million in prizing over the course of its season. Apex Legends started its life cycle as one of the fastest growing games of all time and, while it may have slowed slightly as some of the sparkle has worn off now that it's a few months old, it remains one of the most popular games in the world and the competitor that Fortnite needs to keep innovating. With the genre showing no signs of slowing down and a popularity that attracts those who aren't even that interested in the world of video games, now is certainly the time to try to put together a real-life battle royale if one were so inclined.
An anonymous millionaire agrees with that sentiment according to VG24/7, as a post on HushHush.com—a site that is described as "Amazon for millionaires"—has been uncovered that indicates a wealthy individual is looking to purchase their own private island so that they can host a 100-player, last-person-standing game in the same vein as the battle royale games that have been dominant in the video game industry over the last few years. The millionaire also wants to hire a game developer to set the whole contest up, and is offering £45,000 for six weeks of work to set up the event on site.
For the event itself, the millionaire would like to invite 100 random people, although it's unclear exactly how those random individuals would be selected. They'll compete in what essentially would amount to a £100,000 game of paintball. Players would wear "touch-sensitive body armor" to register hits on each other, and the organizers would like the event to last three days with the idea that contestants will participate for 12 hours a day before camping for the rest of them.
It's an interesting idea, and if the person looking to organize it is wealthy enough to consider buying their own island, then they can probably make it happen. Still, the point of battle royale games are that they often critique the societies that would let things get to that point through absurdist humor or post-apocalyptic environmental design. In mainstream media, properties like The Hunger Games also advocate against embracing these kinds of displays. Even if it's just paintball and no one is getting hurt, it might be a good idea to pay these warnings more heed while we can still avoid fighting each other for scraps on some billionaire's private Fortnite island years in the future.
