DIGITAL LIFE

Fortnite’s missile launch leads to player setting new solo kills record

After weeks of excitement across its huge player base, Fortnite‘s one-time only missile launch event finally took place this weekend. The launch took place within the game on all platforms at the same time, meaning everyone logged into the massively popular Battle Royale mode could look to the sky to see it happen. And that’s exactly what happened, with almost every player putting down their weapons, taking a break from killing one another, and enjoying the event together.
Well, except for one player who used the rare opportunity to set a new record for the most kills in a solo match. In one particular match, a large number of players began working together to build a giant ramp leading to the upper limits of the map, giving everyone the perfect view of the missile launch and what would come after. It was in the seconds after the launch, with around half the players of the match at the top of the ramp, when Elemental_Ray decided to strike, racking up 48 kills at once.Elemental_Ray managed to destroy a huge portion of the ramp, sending everyone crashing to the ground, including themselves. Now Ray, a player who has never won a solo match and had a k/d ratio around 0.5, stands at the top of the leaderboard for single match kills. Their 48 kills easily beat the previous record of 33.

The incident has turned Elemental_Ray into a celebrity overnight within the Fortnite community, although not everyone is happy about it. The community’s ongoing discussion has included players venting their frustration over missing out on a shared, one-time experience within the game due to players like Ray, while other point out that the true nature of Battle Royale is the last one standing wins.

At least players who were killed while trying to watch the missile launch can still see exactly what happened thanks to all the footage being shared online. Elemental_Ray’s play, while it may be considered griefing, still adds to the unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience of the event, helping create a story that will be told by the Fortnite community for years.

Brittany Roston