Dude Perfect Brings Dodgeball Game To Fortnite World

The Dude Perfect dudes are getting into the video game business in a bigger way, launching Fortnite-based Dude Perfect Dodgeball in a big step from their social-media roots as trick-shot creators extraordinaire.

The dodgeball game is perhaps closer to a family-friendly version of a first-person shooter like Fortnite than, say, the kind of team-based dodgeball game that traumatized many a fifth grader in their elementary school gym. But it’s definitely on the gentler side, designed to appeal to a broad audience.

It was developed on Epic Games’ Fortnite Creative system, and will be accessible to Fortnite’s 230 million regular users (some 650 million have registered for Fortnite over the years since its release) across multiple operating systems. Up to 16 players can take part in a free-for-all match using ball launchers on a virtual island that includes a golf course, yacht harbor, jungle, beaches and other features.

And rather than parachuting onto the island a la Fortnite itself, players will spawn on a yacht in the harbor, to be greeted by a virtual version of Dude Perfect member Tyler Toney. Players hit by a dodgeball lose one of their three lives, unless they’re hit with a special “golden” ball that takes all three at once. Influencer-marketing agency Cherry Pick Talent and game designers CreatorsCorp helped develop the experience, with action-camera maker GoPro as main sponsor.

“One of our big things is we want people to touch and feel the things they normally just watch in our content,” said member Coby Cotton in an interview. “We want to find ways for families in particular to play. We’re all gamers to some degree, though we’re not the biggest gamers around. It’s an opportunity to connect with our fans.”

Previously, Dude Perfect had been involved in several previous mobile-game efforts, including two “significant” ones that each received tens of millions of downloads, Cotton said. But the dodgeball launch represents a big step up in game sophistication and reach.

“This is a really exciting one for us,” said Cotton. “It’s been a passion project for a lot of people on the team for a while. We love pioneering. We were the first creators with a book, the first with an iPhone game. We’ve done a handful of those major milestones. It does feel like another big step.”

The venture further into the game universe is part of a broadening of Dude Perfect’s ambitions. These days, it’s about more than trick shots, said group member Cody “Blandie” Bland in an interview. The new experience is built on Fortnite owner Epic’s Unreal Engine tools, which are used in a wide variety of entertainment applications, including visual effects, animation, game design and virtual production.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Bland. “Last year, we tried a couple of new genres, like quests, going for a specific achievement. We just did a clue mystery battle, where you had to search the rooms, like the Clue (board) game. How can we get fans to engage in a game where the guys are” already creating related content.

Bland suggested one future initiative might be a “secret agent type of battle.”

Cotton said the troupe has been branching out beyond trick shots, which led to a featured spot in 2019 Super Bowl festivities, for years.

“When we started making content, all of it was the stunts but as we went on, talking to people on the streets, they were talking to us about some kind of story in our work,” said Cotton. “For the last decade, we’ve been focusing on anything that’s a compelling storyline.”

The game’s main sponsor is GoPro, the maker of miniature action cameras that Dude Perfect has been using for years. Rather than interrupt gameplay with commercials, the camera maker’s logo is affixed to buildings, boats, yachts, even a blimp in the world. Its logo also adorns the balls used in game play.

“It’s something we take a lot of pride in, when we partner up with a brand,” said Bland. “Let’s not just check the box with a deliverable, let’s take it where the fan can take (in the brand) naturally. It’s on the balls, the flags and even a blimp in the sky. We love when brands are open to those kinds of creative moments. There’s a lot of opportunities. You can get goofy and fun.”

Cherry Pick Talent’s Agatha Bleuzen said, “The key here is that (the brand promotion) is non-disruptive to the experience. We want them to enjoy the game and have fun. We want brands that are willing to engage that way.”

GoPro was a natural partner, because Dude Perfect has been using the cameras to capture its trick shots and other content from the beginning, Cotton said.

The Texas-based Dude Perfect troupe of five also includes Garrett Hilbert and Cotton’s twin brother Cory.

Fortnite is owned by Epic Games, which is controlled by founder Tim Sweeney, but counts gaming giants such as Tencent and Sony among its minority shareholders. Earlier this year, Disney announced it had invested $1.5 billion into Epic, which also makes the Unreal Engine graphics tools that Disney uses in virtual productions such as The Mandalorian, and will jointly create a Disney-themed world in Fortnite.

Other long-time Internet fixtures are trying new online approaches as well. The Try Guys last week announced plans to launch a subscription service, to be called 2nd Try, along with the imminent departure of member Eugene Lee Yang after nearly a decade with the group.

The remaining Try Guys – Zach Kornfeld and Keith Habersberger – said the subscription service will allow them to reduce their reliance on YouTube, where they have more than 8 million subscribers. The service will allow their videos to come “straight to” fans with “no ads, no algorithm b.s., no clickbait thumbnails. Just the good stuff!” Kornfeld said in a clip announcing the changes.