The battle royale genre is all the rage, with almost every big studio wanting to cash in on the craze.Most video game players have heard aboutFortnite, Apex Legends, orCall of Duty: Warzone, which have all been extremely successful but barely scratch the surface of the genre. Some studios have added battle royale modes to popular titles in other genres, like Nuclear Winter inFallout 76and Red Death inCivilization 6, while more companies have tried to enter the genre with full-fledged battle royale games. It is safe to say that this craze has not died down, but it may be in need of a big shakeup.
The majority of popular battle royalesgo for the same type of gameplay: players board some sort of flying vehicle and are deposited around a decently sized map to search for loot while fighting other players as the boundaries shrink. This gameplay loop has proven successful, but too much of a good thing is not good. A battle royale in the style ofThe Hunger Games, a series that helped inspire some of the genre’s earliest entries, could make waves.
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The Hunger Games Play by Different Rules
In 2012, the firstHunger Gamesmovie took the world by storm, drawing people in with its unique dystopian world and cast of characters. Gamers also took notice of this series and modded a version ofThe Hunger GamesintoMinecraft. Thus,Minecraft Survival Gameswas born, and a lot of players instantly fell in love with the concept. As of now, it is one of the few battle royale modes that sticks to the rules laid out inThe Hunger Games, and more games should follow suit.
The Hunger Gamesstartsevery competitor around the same spot in the center of the map, and a large cornucopia of items sits in the middle of this circle. The cornucopia is filled to the brim with weapons, first aid resources, food, and various other items that the competitors need. Once the games start, they can either run into the middle to fight one another for good loot, or they can run off into the woods hoping to find something else across the map.
The Battle Royale Genre Needs a Shakeup
The battle royale genre tookthe concepts of last man standingvictories, a mad dash for loot, and map hazards; but not much else. There have not been many battle royale games deviating from the concept of jumping out of a flying vehicle, and that should change. Not only would adopting the style ofThe Hunger Gameshelp to differentiate a game from other titles, it could also help revolutionize the genre.
People who have playedMinecraft Survival Gamesknow the stress of watching a countdown slowly tick away, not knowing whether the player next to them will run to the center or turn and run. It leads to mind games in which every player must ask themselves if they are willing to take a chance at the center. Maybe it pays off, and they can get some pretty nice weapons, or maybe they will be defeated and discover that running off into the woods was a better option. It is a similar stress to not knowing whereothers will jump inFortnite, but with more direct stakes.
The battle royale genre shows no signs of slowing down, but newcomers need to change up the formula.The firstHunger Gamesfilmcame out in 2012, yet most games instead copy the rules set in stone by titles likeFortnite. It is a very different type of battle royale, and there is no better time to emulate it.
