The Growing Frenzy Over Wildly Popular Video Game 'Fortnite: Battle Royale'
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There's a growing frenzy over a new video game called "Fortnite: Battle Royale," where mass groups of players fight each other online to see who's the last one standing.
It is the hottest video game on the market right now and quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon with kids and adults.
While there is a free version of the game, players are still shelling out big bucks because players can pay for accessories including costumes called skins and even dance moves.
Users can play with their friends on consoles, PC's and smartphones.
"So Fortnite is the biggest game that we have seen in years," said Jefferies Video Game analyst Tim O'Shea.
O'Shea says Fortnite is unique because of the business model.
The game is free but it still brings in huge dollars from players paying for the extras.
"So I bought one dance and two skins. So like 50, 60 bucks, something like that," said Fortnite player Jett Sacher.
Tens of millions of other players are making similar purchases.
"My understanding is that the game is monetizing at roughly a 2 billion dollar a year run-rate," said O'Shea.
Thirteen-year old Jett says he plays two hours a day but many kids admit being obsessed with the game and playing non-stop, which has plenty of parents frustrated.
"I made a deal with him that he has to read for a certain amount of hours for every hour of the game that he plays," said parent Evan Fischer.
More parents may find themselves negotiating with their kids.
"Fortnite: Battle Royale" came out in the fall and has some 40 million players connected online. It's popularity is expected to continue to increase.