Epic Games didn't just build a game; they built a vacuum that sucked up every trophy in sight for years. Honestly, if you look at the shelf of awards won by Fortnite, it’s a bit ridiculous. It's not just about the "Best Multiplayer" stickers either. We’re talking about a cultural shift where a cartoonish battle royale started winning Emmy Awards and Golden Joysticks like it was nothing.
Fortnite came out in 2017. People forget that. Back then, it was a struggling "Save the World" tower defense project that felt a bit clunky. Then the Battle Royale mode dropped, and suddenly, the industry couldn't look away. It wasn't just popular. It was everywhere.
The early explosion of recognition
In 2018, the floodgates opened. The Golden Joystick Awards are usually a good barometer for what’s actually sticking with players, and Fortnite didn't just show up—it dominated. It took home Game of the Year. That’s a big deal. You have to remember the competition back then. We were looking at massive, high-budget narrative experiences, yet here was this free-to-play builder-shooter taking the top prize.
It also grabbed the Best Competitive Game award that same year. Most critics pointed to the "easy to learn, impossible to master" skill ceiling. It’s true. You can hop in and hide in a bush, or you can be a 14-year-old with the reflexes of a fighter pilot building a five-story hotel in three seconds. That duality is why the awards started piling up.
The Game Awards and the "Ongoing" streak
Geoff Keighley’s "The Game Awards" is basically the Oscars of the industry. Fortnite has been a staple there since the beginning. It won Best Ongoing Game in 2018 and again in 2019. This is probably the most important category for Epic. It proves they didn't just catch lightning in a bottle; they kept the bottle plugged and added more lightning every three months.
Winning "Best Ongoing Game" means the judges recognized that the game people played in Chapter 1 was fundamentally different from the game in Chapter 2. They added vehicles. They added NPCs. They literally sucked the entire map into a black hole and turned the servers off for days. That kind of gutsy move is what leads to awards won by Fortnite being so diverse. They even picked up Best Multiplayer Game in 2018, beating out some very heavy hitters in the shooter genre.
It’s more than just "Gaming" awards now
Here is where things get weird. Fortnite stopped being "just a game" and became a platform. Because of that, the awards shifted.
Did you know Fortnite won a Sports Emmy? Yeah, seriously. In 2023, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences gave an Emmy for "Outstanding Interactive Experience" to the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS). They weren't just rewarding the gameplay. They were rewarding the broadcast technology, the way the camera moved through a 3D space, and how millions of people watched a digital sporting event in real-time.
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Then there are the music awards. When Travis Scott did the Astronomical event, it wasn't just a gimmick. It was a massive technical feat. It won a Webby Award for Best Metaverse Experience. Actually, it won several Webbys over the years. People like to make fun of the "Metaverse" buzzword, but when 12 million people are simultaneously watching a giant rapper stomp through a digital ocean, the industry takes notice.
Why the industry actually cares about these trophies
Awards can sometimes feel like a circle-jerk for developers. But for Epic Games, these trophies served as social proof. They helped convince Disney, Marvel, and LEGO to partner with them.
- BAFTA Games Awards: They’ve been nominated dozens of times, specifically for the Evolving Game category.
- Teen Choice Awards: It won Choice Videogame multiple times, proving its grip on the "Gen Z" demographic.
- SXSW Gaming Awards: It took home Excellence in Multiplayer.
The sheer volume of awards won by Fortnite created a shield. When parents or mainstream media tried to claim it was just a fad, Epic could point to a shelf full of BAFTAs and Emmys. It’s hard to call something a "fad" when it’s winning technical achievement awards from organizations that have been around longer than the internet.
The "Best Community" and "Social" recognition
Fortnite also changed how we think about social spaces. It won Best Social Game at various ceremonies because, for a lot of kids (and adults), it’s just a 3D chat room where a fight happens to break out. The "Party Royale" mode, which had no combat, was a huge reason why it kept winning "Innovation" awards.
Some people argue that the game doesn't deserve the "Best Evolving Game" titles every year. They say it’s just "more stuff." But look at the technical side. They moved the entire game to Unreal Engine 5.1 while millions were playing. That’s like changing the engine of a Boeing 747 while it’s mid-flight at 30,000 feet. The industry recognizes that level of madness.
What most people get wrong about the accolades
A common misconception is that Fortnite only wins because it’s popular. Popularity helps, sure. But if you look at the awards won by Fortnite in the technical categories—like the D.I.C.E. Awards—you see a different story.
The D.I.C.E. Awards are voted on by industry peers (actual developers). Fortnite won Online Game of the Year there. Developers don't vote based on "hype." They vote based on netcode, server stability, and how the building mechanic manages to not break the game's physics every five minutes. They won because, from a coding perspective, Fortnite is a miracle of optimization. It runs on a high-end PC and a five-year-old Android phone. That’s why it has the trophies.
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A quick look at the trophy cabinet:
- Golden Joystick Awards: Game of the Year (2018), Still Playing Award (2019).
- The Game Awards: Best Ongoing Game (2018, 2019), Best Multiplayer (2018).
- British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA): Evolving Game (Nominee/Winner cycles).
- Webby Awards: Various for technical achievement and social events.
- Sports Emmy: Outstanding Interactive Experience (2023).
What’s next for the Fortnite legacy?
We’re moving into an era where the game is becoming a "Creative" hub. With the launch of Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), the awards are probably going to shift again. We might start seeing Fortnite-based "experiences" winning their own independent awards.
The game isn't just a battle royale anymore. It’s a game engine disguised as a toy box. The accolades it picks up in the next five years will likely be for "User Generated Content" and "Education." It’s already being used in classrooms. That’s a long way from "Best Shooter."
If you want to understand the impact of Fortnite, don't just look at the player count. Look at the diversity of the people giving them trophies. When the same project is being honored by both Teen Vogue and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, you know something weird and historic is happening.
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To really see what the fuss is about, you should check out the "Legends" or "Icon" series skins that were released alongside major award wins. Often, Epic celebrates their industry standing by immortalizing the people who helped them get there. Keeping an eye on the "Best Ongoing Game" category at this year's Game Awards is the best way to see if the momentum is finally slowing down or if Epic has another black-hole-sized surprise waiting in the wings. Reviewing the historical winners of the D.I.C.E. Awards specifically can give you a better appreciation for the technical hurdles Fortnite cleared compared to its competitors like PUBG or Apex Legends.