In our coverage of the digital ecosystem, we like to call creators “millionaires” when they achieve a seven-digit subscriber or follower count on a platform like YouTube and TikTok. Canadian gamer Andre Rebelo is one of the standouts we’ve covered in that column, and he just became a millionaire on a different platform: Fortnite.
Rebelo, known online as Typical Gamer, is the first creator to gain at least one million followers on Fortnite. He currently sits atop a leaderboard that also includes notable influencers like SypherPK and NickEh.
Epic Games only introduced the follower mechanic to Fortnite last November, but Typical Gamer wasted no time assembling a million-strong fanbase. Several factors drove his rise to newfound heights: He relied on his established following on platforms like YouTube, his affinity for a game he plays competitively, and his status as a top-tier developer of custom Fortnite islands. Last year, he launched JOGO, a Fortnite Creative studio that hauled in $7 million in its first year.
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In the current creator zeitgeist, some sources argue that raw follower counts don’t mean what they used to. Aggregating fans is nice, but forging direct connections with fans is a bigger priority for many creators.
But Typical Gamer still sees value in his unprecedented accomplishment. We spoke to him about his Fortnite Creative exploits, the importance of his high follower count, and the experiences he plans to set into motion now that he has a seven-digit audience hanging onto every pixelated move he makes.
Tubefilter: How has the Fortnite follower system improved your operations in the game? What value does it provide for fans?
Typical Gamer: The new follower system solves for Fortnite’s discovery challenge. Since the launch of UEFN, the game’s UGC platform, creators have been flooding the game with great content and innovative experiences. Finding those top maps, however, has always been a challenge. The ‘follow’ mechanic now provides a curated recommendation for in-game players who are ready to play. That’s a huge deal that is already driving a ton of engagement
Typical Gamer
TF: Which do you think has been a more important factor in your rise to one million Fortnite followers: Your name recognition as a gaming creator or the work your studio has done in the game?
TG: I’m deeply committed to elevating my content. Be it my stream or the experiences we’re building through JOGO, my community sticks around because it’s fun. I’ll never lose sight of that, so if they follow my name, they stick around for the experiences we’re providing. 15 years later, this is the most creative I’ve been and the most fun I’ve had as a creator
TF: There’s been a lot of talk about the “death of the follower” on social media as direct fan engagement becomes a more reliable tactic for channel growth (when compared to raw, aggregate numbers). With that in mind, what do you see as the value of a Fortnite follow?
TG: This just isn’t another passive follower. A follower in-game is showing immediate intention to play and that’s super valuable. Think of what we’re doing now; streaming on YouTube, posting on Twitter, and clipping over on Instagram. But for what? To mobilize that passive fan into a player, and the attrition is horrendous. A ‘Fortnite Follow’ means players are in-game, ready to play. In an ecosystem that rewards engagement and playing time, this is reimagining the studio’s entire marketing effort
TF: Platforms like YouTube and TikTok encourage creators to follow along with trends if they want to get more subscribers/followers and views. Do you think the Fortnite recommendation system stifles creativity by encouraging island creators to “copy” the best-performing minigames in the ecosystem? Why or why not?
TG: It’s not the recommendation system that stifles creativity. Players just want familiar experiences. That means genres are slow to evolve, innovation is taxed, and shortcuts are easy. We’re investing in a UGC environment of the future and are willing to make those long-lead investments.
TF: Does the implementation of followers make you more loyal to Fortnite’s game creation engine? Are you interested in branching out on platforms like Roblox or, later this year, GTA VI?
TG: Followers make finding, promoting, and investing in new maps more accessible, but in no way are we slowing down. We’ve always been dedicated to experimenting in new formats, and as a veteran GTA creator, you better believe we’re going to be all over the new launch later this year
If you’re interested in keeping up with Typical Gamer’s Fortnite exploits, you can help him down the path toward two million by following him here.
