Epic's Fortnite is a massive success that's achieved a level of popularity that few could have ever imagined. It's a worldwide phenomenon that boasts a huge player base and has had a cultural impact far beyond that of most games. The free-to-play game almost didn't even exist, however, it's been revealed this week at E3 2019.

　　Rod Fergusson, the former director of production at Epic Games, has revealed that he wanted to cancel Fortnite when he was at the company. At the time, the project did not have its battle royale component (which has driven the game's success), and it was facing some challenges.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - Loadout

　　Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: The 5 Biggest Stars Of E3 2019

　　"If I stayed at Epic, I would have canceled Fortnite. Absolutely," Fergusson told Game Informer. "Before I left I tried to cancel Fortnite. When it was just Save the World, that was a project that had some challenges. As the director of production at the time, that game would not have passed my bar for something we should have continued to keep going."

　　Fergusson did not elaborate as to what the difficulties were with Fortnite at the time. He left Epic in 2012, going on to join Irrational Games to help close out the development of BioShock Infinite. He then joined Microsoft when the company bought the Gears of War franchise from Epic, and he now heads up Gears 5 studio The Coalition.

　　Fergusson said he doesn't lose sleep over leaving Epic before Fortnite exploded in popularity. "I'm super happy for their success," he said.

　　He again reminded people that Fortnite might not exist if he stayed at Epic. "That game you love, the worldwide sensation, it would not exist had I stayed at Epic," he said.

　　Fortnite's battle royale mode was released in September 2017, following the initial Save the World mode. This is when the game really took off.

　　Fergusson likely had no idea Epic wanted to make Fortnite a battle royale game, as he left the company a half-decade before the game was even released.

　　In other news, BAFTA gave a special award to Epic this week at E3 for its "impact on the global games industry."

　　More E3 news:

　　E3 2019's biggest newsZelda: Breath of the Wild 2 teasedNew Xbox console, Scarlett, revealedXbox Scarlett details: 8K, 120 FPS, SSDCyberpunk 2077 release date announcedFinal Fantasy VII Remake release date announcedMarvel's Avengers revealed