Fortnite ‘destroying 4,500 marriages a year’ in UK, divorce papers reveal
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AS many as 5,000 marriages could break down this year as a result of Fortnite, according to online divorce specialists divorce-online.co.uk.
They report that so far this year, 200 petitions that they have handled have specifically cited playing Epic's multiplayer shooter as grounds for divorce.
Citing the game's "drug-like qualities" and describing Fortnite as "one of the most addictive digital games ever played", the firm looked through all its records for the year so far after seeing "an increase in enquiries where Fortnite has been mentioned as part of the reason someone wanted to file a divorce."
"It is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions," a spokesperson for the company said.
“These numbers equate to roughly 5 per cent of the 4,665 petitions we have handled since the beginning of the year," the spokesperson went on, "and as one of the largest filers of divorce petitions in the UK, is a pretty good indicator.”
There were 107,071 divorces in the UK in 2016, the most recent year for which complete data is available, suggesting that Fortnite will be a factor in the breakdown of up to 4,600 marriages in the UK this year, if the pattern is replicated across all providers.
We reported earlier this year that some women had been calling for a BAN on the compelling game because it had "brainwashed" their boyfriends.
Signing a petition calling for the game to be done away with, one wrote: "This game is ridiculous. Ruining my relationship."
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It was not clear if more men or women were citing Fortnite in divorce papers, or if it was the desire to find a better duos partner that drove the split rather than a desire to find someone who plays the game less.
Fortnite is making Epic Games at least £230m every month, with 40 million active players and 125 million downloads.
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