Fortnite Battle Royale is taking over not just the gaming world but also popular culture. It has now become such a phenomenon that even rapper Drake jumped on the bandwagon earlier this month.
The game essentially drops 100 players onto an island where they compete against each other until there’s just one left standing. It’s free to play, but in-app purchases hit $103 million in February, quite a testament to its insane popularity.
So why’s is it doing so well?
According to Brandon Davis, Special Assignment Producer at ComicBook.com, the appeal lies in the fact that “it’s like the Hunger Games.”
“It’s a lot of things that you can compare it to that you’re familiar with.” Plus, “it’s easy to get a grip on.”
Janet Rose, known on Twitch as “xChocobars,” is one of the lucky few who’ve won a game of Fortnite. She says it is “really fast-paced.” But even she doesn’t exactly know what’s behind the hype.
“I’m still figuring out why I like it so much compared to other games.”
The price of popularity is the heavy lift for the tech behind the scenes. Fortnite servers have gone down as they struggled to keep up with intense traffic.
“Those types of things tend to happen while this game is so popular,” said Davis.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/no-fake-love-for-fortnite).
Next-generation gaming ecosystem Joystick recently raised $8 million in a seed round and is in the process of raising a $110 million Series A funding round. Gaming ecosystems are a relatively new type of platform in the Web3 space, allowing users to maximize their play-to-earn gaming opportunities, exchange crypto-currencies, and sell their digital assets. Joystick says its platform is flipping the current model on its head by giving players the opportunity to keep 100% of the revenue they earn. Robin Defay, co-founder and CEO of Joystick, and Michael Le, co-founder of Joystick and TikTok content creator, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The dating app Bumble has sponsored bills and pushed lawmakers to criminalize the online practice of sending unsolicited nudes or “cyberflashing." Payton Iheme, Bumble's head of public policy for the Americas, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the app was going after the harassing behavior beyond its own platform. "Now, while we went to work internally in the company, and we created something called private detector to automatically blur those images so the user can decide if they want to see them, there's nothing for the rest of the internet," she said. "And so that's why we went to work with these laws."
The founder and president of Cyborg Mobile Kobie Hatcher has been on a strong trajectory to disrupt his industry with a program called The New Technologists. It's not only meant to address the diversity gap within large tech companies but also help pave the way to transform the lives of young BIPOC students. He joined Cheddar News to talk about how he's working to make a difference with the lack of diversity in tech. “There's truly no lack of talent out there. It's just identifying them and letting them know that, hey, I've been in the tech sector for over 20 years. I see you. I know what you can bring, bring it, we need it," Hatcher said.
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The 2022 NBA playoffs are intensifying as four teams vie for an NBA finals berth. Tonight, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors can book their finals ticket with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, while Miami will be feeling the 'heat' tomorrow night, facing elimination against the Boston Celtics.
And with the growing popularity of sports betting, the NBA playoffs offers a potential money-making opportunity for fans. Trysta Krick, host of BetMGM Tonight, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
