Sorry, Fortnite Isn't Coming To Steam Deck
Ah, Fortnite. A true enigma in the gaming industry. It's hard to perceive that anyone could foresee the immense success that the battle royale titan would go on to enjoy, but ever since its monumental rise, it has practically dwarfed every other free-to-play game on the market and made its stamp on the industry.
Not bad for a game where you can shoot Bruno Mars in a Spider-Man costume. Fortnite's huge success is owed somewhat to its incredible versatility, coming to many consoles with huge cross-progression - but sadly, there's one hugely anticipated console that won't let you hop out of the battle bus on its terms.
Fortnite Won't Run On Steam Deck
*shakes fist* Gaaaaaaaabe! Sorry, PC gamers - the Steam Deck isn't going to let you crank '90s as easily as you'd hope. Fortnite isn't going to be appearing on Steam Deck, with cheating problems being cited as the main reason for the decision.
On Twitter, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney outright stated there are no plans for Fortnite to appear on the new handheld console, stating that though they're trying to find a way around it, there's little chance of Fortnite launching on the console with a way to combat the slew of cheaters that would come with it.
"We don't have confidence that we'd be able to combat cheating at a scale under a wide array of kernel configurations including custom ones," he said to one user.
How Bad Is Fortnite's Cheating Problem?
To be fair to Fortnite, though the game often lets a few cheaters through the cracks, it isn't among the worst that the battle royale genre has to offer when it comes to invasive hackers.
Warzone is notorious for it, and Apex Legends still has a few - but Fortnite is probably among the most secure battle royale games, despite its incredible size.
It's no surprise, then, that Epic Games wants to keep it that way - and if the potential invasion of cheaters that could come of a Steam Deck launch is so bad that they've pumped the brakes on the game coming to a whole new platform, then it's probably for the best that it stays away from the Steam Deck, as sad as it is.
Though the Steam Deck is set to be a whole new way to experience PC gaming, it looks like it's going to have some big omissions. We're sure it'll still be fine, even without the biggest battle royale going.