Fortnite: A fortnight in my 40s in Battle Royale

Its most popular mode - Battle Royale - was added in September. It pits 100 players against one another

More than 20.7 million follow the game

Last week, people watched more than 183 million hours of Fortnite gameplay on streaming site Twitch

Epic Games is said to have made almost $300m (£230m) selling in-game purchases in April - and that was before the game was released on the Nintendo Switch

The company has announced a $100m prize fund for competitive play of the game

    </figure><h2 class="story-body__crosshead">Beginner's tips</h2><p><strong>By Chris Foxx, technology reporter</strong></p><ul class="story-body__unordered-list"><li class="story-body__list-item">Pair up with a more experienced friend who can show you the ropes in Duo mode - or join a squad of four</li>

Building is just as important as shooting. Collect wood and practise building walls in a quiet area of the map. If you are attacked, throw up a circle of walls as protection

If you struggle to attack people, employ stealth instead - some chests contain a bush disguise that can help you hide on the map; or set traps inside buildings and wait

It can help to wear headphones or a gamer headset so that you can hear when other players are around

If you're eliminated, watch the player that killed you progress through the game - you can learn tips and techniques this way

Make use of the Playground practice mode