Epic Shutting Down Fortnite In China Before Things Ever Really Got Started

On November 15, Epic Games’ battle royale Fortnite will no longer be available to players in China – what players it actually had at any rate. According to a report from VGR, the game never really took off in China the way it did everywhere else -- a result of there being stricter rules about what can be in the game, lack of monetization, and the fact that other games kept a tight grip on the battle royale space.

It also doesn’t help that the game was effectively “in testing” for the last two years because the government never approved it.

To add clarity, Fortnite never officially launched in China

The game has been undergoing testing for the past 2+ years and does not include IAP

This is because the game was never approved by the govt and therefore could not officially launch + monetize. Hence the shut down now. https://t.co/oj1Wx6JsM3

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) November 1, 2021

That said, the end result was that the game not only wasn’t making money, but was actually operating at a loss. That’s not surprising seeing as the game only had a free battle pass and apparently offered players automatic wins either when they hit the 20-minute mark or had a high elimination count, vastly shortening the amount of time players might spend in the game. The game also reportedly had no limited time or competitive game modes meaning it likely didn’t appeal to anyone looking for a challenge.