Fortnite has been cited as one of the rising reasons for divorce in more than four percent of the cases handled by UK-based divorce service Divorce Online this year, according to a PCGamesN report.
The report states that of the 4,665 divorce petitions that Divorce Online has investigated in 2018, 200 cited an “addiction to Fortnite and other online gaming” as one of the reasons for divorce.
Founded in 1999, Divorce Online claims to be the first online divorce service in the UK and the largest filer of divorce cases in England and Wales, according to its website.
A company spokesperson told Mirror Online that it’s not just Fortnite, but technology as a whole that is causing rifts between partners.
“Addiction to drugs, alcohol, and gambling have often been cited as reasons for relationship breakdown but the dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions,” said the spokesperson. “These now include online pornography, online gaming, and social media, so it is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions.”
Matt Hancock, UK government culture minister, expressed concern about video games earlier this year, saying an excessive amount of “screen time” could be damaging to children. His parliamentary private secretary even specifically pointed out Fortnite with criticisms that the games played nowadays are too aggressive and potentially addicting.
Since launching last year, Fortnite has become one of the most-played games in the world and one that has crossed over into mainstream culture. One of the latest spillovers featured NFL tight end Eric Ebron celebrating a touchdown with Fortnite-inspired dances.
