In a huge surprise for Epic Games subscribers, a day before May the 4th be with You kicked off, fans of the popular Battle Royale were greeted with Fortnite on Amazon Luna; finally!
What an anniversary present for us here at STW.
Related: Live Stream On Twitch With Amazon Luna
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We’ve been waiting for this
A few eagle-eyed fans caught a glimpse of Fortnite on Amazon Luna a few months back, capturing a screenshot of the game in their library before it was promptly removed. However, as of May 3rd, Epic Games members can now officially link their Fortnite account to both Amazon Luna and Twitch. Welcome to the future.
The wildly popular game is one of the most viewed on Twitch, so the addition of Fortnite on Luna gives low-budget streamers a huge boost. Prior to the release of Fortnite on Amazon Luna, subscribers to Amazon’s gaming services were relegated to Luna+ games and Ubisoft titles; all great, but none of which offered a PvP mode, which is much more interesting to most live streaming viewers (according to Neilsen’s Twitch ratings).
So, can Fortnite save cloud gaming? It just may. But what is the experience like in its first iteration on Luna?
Fortnite on Amazon Luna: First thoughts
The first thing that is immediately noticeable is how much different Fortnite looks on Luna in contrast to the Nintendo Switch. Epic’s Unreal Engine looks amazing on Luna, there’s really no other way to put it. This is likely because Luna runs its cloud gaming off a virtual PC, so players on Amazon get the full Unreal Engine experience, which is incredible.
The game is beautiful and pairing it with your Twitch account is shockingly easy. After launching Fortnite on Amazon Luna you’ll be prompted to link your Twitch and Epic accounts. You can do this by scanning the QR code provided on the screen or signing in through Luna. Given our Epic account is saved on our mobile, we opted for the QR code.
Once we were logged in Luna pushed us right into the lobby with all of our skins and Battle Pass rewards intact. Very simple.
Again, the graphics were fantastic; a welcome surprise given the resource-guzzling BR was running on a Fire Stick 4K Max – no PC, Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo Switch required.
But there are still some kinks to work out.
Whether it’s bandwidth or the limited capabilities of the Fire Stick 4K (a literal little engine that could), the high-intensity upload/download requirements of the game cause a lag from time to time, and often at the worst moments.
The controls are also modified a bit. To hop out of the bus you’ll need to hold down the bottom button on the Luna controller (A) rather than the right button on the Switch (still “A” but in a different location). Also, to load a new game or stay with the team, you’ll need to hold down the A button until the selection is confirmed instead of tapping it.
All in all, though, the addition of Fortnite on Amazon Luna is very cool for casual streamers. And so far, it looks like the partnership between the two content giants is going to pay huge dividends. For low-income youth and individuals with limited access to high-end devices, streaming one of the most popular games on Twitch is possible for less than $100 now.
Bravo Amazon Luna, Epic, Twitch, et al.
We can’t wait to see what else you cook up in the future. Happy streaming!
From Amazon Luna
Become MEGA in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 2. Ride the grind rails of “MEGA City” and swerve on its streets on a sports bike. Go beyond the neon towers to the rest of the new biome: cause Havoc at “Steamy Springs,” drive a “Nitro Drifter” to the “Drift Ridge” car track, sharpen your “Kinetic Blade” skills at “Kenjutsu Crossing,” and more! Create, play, and battle with friends for free in Fortnite.
Be the last player standing in Battle Royale and Zero Build, experience a concert or live event, or discover over a million creator made games, including racing, parkour, zombie survival, and more. Find it all in Fortnite!
Amazon Luna