Fortnite Galactus event draws record-breaking 15.3 million concurrent players

Live event pre-empted a new season of the hit battle royale game

A live event on the hit battle royale game Fortnite drew a record 15.3 million concurrent players yesterday (1 December). 

The interactive Galactus event saw players join forces with Marvel heroes including Iron Man, Wolverine and Thor, to fight the giant villain in-game. 

The event was the most played live event in Fortnite’s history, with 3.4 million other people watching on YouTube Gaming and Twitch.

It also brought the fourth season of Fortnite’s second chapter to a close, with the new season, Chapter 2, Season 5, launching this morning.

Fortnite’s in-game Travis Scott concert held earlier this year attracted 12.3 million players, which was until yesterday the game’s biggest event. 

Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 5: Zero Point is out now on all platforms, including versions optimised for the next-generation PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles.

Fortnite’s latest season also sees the hit game cross over with the Disney+ Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian.

As part of its Battle Pass, the game will feature characters from the series including Din Djarin (played in the show by Pedro Pascal) and the little green alien widely referred to as Baby Yoda.

Last week’s episode of The Mandalorian revealed Baby Yoda’s real name (Grogu) for the first time, a revelation which drew mixed reactions from fans.