Epic Games has explained how LEGO Fortnite Odyssey is still a successful game even though it can look “smaller” compared to other modes.
Looking back at when the game was first released in 2017, Fortnite has truly come a long way. As of now, the title has become so much more than just a Battle Royale, boasting a plethora of different game modes, whether that be the GTA RP-esque Brick Life mode, Fortnite OG, or the recently added Fortnite Ballistic mode, among others.
As the game continues to expand, however, it’s not without some challenges. Having a split player base is something that the game has struggled with for a while, and even more so with new modes getting introduced.
Because of this, it’s no secret that naturally, some modes, including LEGO Fortnite, now rebranded as LEGO Fortnite Odyssey, would appear to have a lower player count than others. Despite that, Epic has claimed that the mode is still considered successful.
Epic Games explains the importance of new modes
Speaking to The Verge, Devin Winterbottom, Epic’s executive vice president of game development, explained how he wants to change expectations of what Fortnite is.
“The worst outcome for us is that everything looks like battle royale,” said Winterbottom. “That’s not what we want to do.”
This has been led by the launch of all the new modes in Fortnite outside of Zero Build and Battle Royale. In the case of LEGO Fortnite, this mode has already embraced smaller experimental game modes like LEGO Raft Survival and LEGO Obby Fun.
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Winterbottom’s hopes are echoed by LEGO Head of Games Remi Marcelli, who used the example of Cat Adventure Island that tasked players with caring for cats on an island. Marcelli said the cozy mode was “the furthest away from battle royale that we could think of,” adding, “We had a decent playerbase at launch, but it was sort of lost in an environment where nobody was opening Fortnite to play that specific type of game.”
A refocused strategy attempts to appeal to a ‘broader’ audience while giving them something exciting enough to visit LEGO Fortnite Odyssey. A new hub area hopes to make experiences like the aforementioned Cat Island easier to find.
He explained: “If we want to be relevant, we need to appeal to everyone, including the hardcore battle royale players. We need to find things that are exciting enough for them to visit us. Finding that match is what we’ve been trying to do for the entire year.”
While certain game modes are struggling in terms of player count, Winterbottom is aware that the numbers might not look the best thanks to Battle Royale still leading the charge: “Odyssey can look smaller compared to some of the other stuff that’s in the ecosystem, but it’s actually a successful game. It has a lot of players.”
He asks players to look at Odyssey as a standalone product outside of the main Fortnite ecosystem, saying, “The numbers that it generates would be considered very successful.” Concluding that “success comes in a lot of different sizes,” he suggests that big things can be found in the pint-sized package of LEGO: “Not everything needs to be a monolithic mega game. That’s actually bad in our opinion.”
With Winterbottom thinking in decades instead of years, the likes of LEGO Fortnite Odyssey are hopefully the foundation of something much bigger. Epic and LEGO have spent 12 months refining their strategy, and with a lucrative $1.5 investment in Disney, the Fortnite brand is set to keep evolving.