Donald Mustard, the co-creator of the popular game Fortnite, discussed the game’s huge financial success in a recent interview. Since its launch in 2017, Fortnite has made over $26 billion in revenue. Mustard, who was the Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, said the whole experience has been very humbling.
Mustard told GR about the collaborative nature of Fortnite’s development. He highlighted the crucial role played by his core team, noting that many members had worked together for years and even decades. The team’s experimental approach fueled their creative process as they followed their instincts with the desire to create something impressive. Looking back, Mustard finds it “amazing” to see how deeply this has resonated with hundreds of millions of players.
“The fact that it kind of worked on the scale it did is astounding and wonderful. I will cherish it forever. I have had so many unique experiences with my own family and my own friends, my own kids, playing Fortnite but then being able to talk with so many people that have been able to be entertained by it. It’ll be a cherished thing for the rest of my life. And I can’t believe I got to experience it.”
Donald Mustard
Despite Fortnite’s huge popularity and revenue, Mustard confessed that in the beginning, the team was mostly “making things up.” This included basic design elements like the timing of a battle royale match, which was crafted to encourage social interaction and reduce the emphasis on non-stop combat. Mustard is surprised that these initial experimental ideas were so successful on the scale they were.
Obviously, Mustard loves his game. He has nothing but kind things to say about it, and he arguably made a generation-defining battle royale.
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