Business Insider
"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (left) and "Fortnite: Battle Royale" (center) have earned millions of players with their battle royale gameplay. Now "Call of Duty" (right) is trying to cut in on the fun.
Video games have entered the era of the battle royale, a subgenre of shooting games that pits 100 players against each other on a single map in a fight for survival. The genre exploded with popularity last year with a pair of new games, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" and "Fortnite: Battle Royale," introducing millions of players to the battle royale concept.
This year both "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield," the two largest multiplayer shooting franchises, announced that their games would feature battle royale modes. While several games have already tried to mimic the success of "Fortnite" and "PUBG," the big budget production teams of "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield" threaten to deliver a more complete product. Blackout, "Call of Duty's" battle royale mode, launched with "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" on October 12th and has already been commended for its polished take on the genre.
As developers work to create their ideal version of battle royale, let's take a look at why the genre is a hit and what makes the experience of each battle royale game unique.