G'day Forts fans!
Happy 7th birthday Forts! When Forts first launched on April 19th, 2017, we couldn't possibly have foreseen what the future held in store. Some of us writing this now had yet to come aboard in fact, while for others it was already the fruit of many years labour.
Since then Forts has grown beyond our wildest dreams and we sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of it. You've all helped to make the game what it is today and there is still so much more planned for the future!
To celebrate we've put the entire Forts catalog on sale. It's the perfect time to expand your Forts library or share the joy of Forts with your friends. This sale runs until April 22nd.
Forts Seven Year Health Check
Seven years of Forts, seven years of stats! The subject would appear to be in rare health.
Community Numbers
EWG Lifetime Steam Units: 1,573,090
All-time peak players: 2583 (7280*)
Workshop Mods: 2,681
Workshop Maps: 26,942
Discord Members: 9185
Updates: 68
In-game Numbers
Most popular commander - Overall: Architect
Most popular commander - Ranked: Pinchfist
Players completed Black Gold campaign on hard: 6946
Players completed Moonshot campaign on hard: 2175
Players completed High Seas campaign on hard: 1072
Battles fought: 91.3 million
Hours spent: 22.6 million
*Free multiplayer weekend
Forts Timeline
Let's take a look back at some of the notable events over the past seven years.
1 - April 2017 - Forts Launched - 1,362 peak players
After 14 years of development, Forts finally sees the the light of day, on April 19th 2017.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861685929
2 - May 2017 - Forts First Tournament - 1,079 peak players
Having found a small, but passionate player base, Forts' first community-led tournament is arranged six weeks after launch.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861684005
3 - September 2017 - Steam Workshop Integration - 197 peak players
The first phase of Steam workshop integration arrives, allowing players the ability to upload their custom maps for other Forts players to try out.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861681619
4 - October 2017 - Tons of Guns - 835 peak players
Six new weapons and two extra tech buildings are added in the free Tons of Guns DLC, expanding the tech tree significantly.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861681194
5 - November 2017 - ADGA Award Winner - 424 peak players
At Melbourne International Game Week, EarthWork Games is recognised by their Australian game development peers at the AGDAs, receiving The Best Defence is a Good Offense award.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861680990
6 - December 2017 - BPO Commanders - 543 peak players
The Commander roster is pushed out to 12 with the addition of three Black Penguin Oil characters: Scattershot, Seep & Shockenaugh in another free DLC.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861679990
7 - May 2018 - Campaign Mods - 258 peak players
Players are granted the ability to create and share their custom campaigns with the campaign mod workshop upgrade.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861678455
8 - June 2018 - Ranked Multiplayer & Repair Station - 7,280 peak players
The multiplayer scene receives a boost with the introduction of ranked multiplayer, allowing players to wrack up points in competitive matches and find appropriately skilled opponents. The Repair Station device is added to ease the APM demands, should players need it. A free multiplayer-only weekend brought in a slew of new players also saw the record of concurrent users increased to 7,280.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/5262975441861677709
9 - June 2019 - Forts - Moonshot DLC - 971 peak players
just over two years after launch, Forts first paid DLC is launched. Moonshot adds a whole new campaign, new faction, weapons and Capture Point game mode.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2429044061346460933
10 - July 2019 - Ranked Season 1 - 626 peak players
The ranked multiplayer scene is reorganised and reinvigorated with the formalisation of seasons, complete with end of season leaderboards and medals.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/1593627410377653536
11 - December 2019 - Multiplayer Training Missions - 940 peak players
In an effort to help onboarding of new players into the multiplayer scene, training missions are added, complete with new environment set and drill instructor.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3726097246760899467
12 - May 2020 - Forts Trading Cards - 776 peak players
Steam trading cards finally make an appearance for the owners of Forts.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2198263022930076515
13 - June 2020 - Forts Pro-HUD - 775 peak players
A new Pro-HUD mini-DLC is launched, allowing players to support the game further with the purchase of HUD reskin and medal.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2212902906123604321
14 - October 2020 - Commander Update - 741 peak players
The fifteen-strong commander roster is given an overhaul, with rebalanced abilities and new powers for many characters.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2864810353838512443
15 - January 2021 - Welcome Romerolagus - 1,989 peak players
Dedicated community member Romerolagus is drafted into the EWG team to help moderate Discord and other areas of interaction with the growing Forts player base.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/2914357483128102177
16 - March 2022 - Forts High Seas Launched - 2,583 peak players
Almost five years after its' initial release, Forts second full paid DLC is launched. High Seas drastically expands its' appeal with the addition of water tech, ships, weapons and ammo.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3094542765846692775
17 - October 2022 - Multilevel water, holiday theme, UI and engine update - 1072 peak players
Support for multiple water levels. Upgraded runways. UI improvements including live map previews (you're welcome Armaxy!), map and mod search bar, and slimline replay HUD. Plus numerous under-the-hood improvements including the conversion to 64-bit addressing for all the RAM.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3291591738159123767
18 - February 2023 - Multiplayer update, FPL relaunch, sprite pack and Elite HUD - 875 Peak players
The Forts Pro League returns! A new Observer HUD with stat tracking, automated ranked matches with map preview and commander selection, a sprite pack for modders, and an Elite HUD for supporters.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3639505777538409699
19 - April 2023 - Welcome 42scientist - 737 Peak players
Forts statistician extraordinaire 42scientist joins the team to help wrangle the revived Pro League.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3723956416428536272
20 - July 2023 - Forts Pro League: Season 2 - 1847 Peak players
The second season of the Forts Pro League launches with simultaneous English, French, and German livecasts.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3656408671642378144?l=english
21 - October 2023 - Vulkan support, Free Weekend(!), and quick battles - 5283 Peak players
Preliminary Vulkan support is added, plane tuning, Free Weekend(!) and quick battles to help new players jump straight in.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3760000974803744439?l=english
22 - January 2024 - Forts Pro League: Season 3 - 1116 Peak Players
Open registration for the Forts Pro League is announced. Season 3 currently underway with 40 teams participating.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/410900/view/3975057374076131787?l=english
And still so much coming in year 8!
Discord
If you haven't already, join our Forts Official Discord server to connect with other players, share strategies, create maps and mods, and for more information on upcoming events.
Thanks for playing Forts, and here's to seven more years!
EWG