'Fortnite' has officially been blamed for over 200 divorces

If we were to pick one word to sum up 2018, ‘Fortnite’ would be a strong contender.

The survival game has dominated the discourse, especially since the release of Fortnite: Battle Royale on iOS in April, but it’s not just the gaming world where it’s hitting headlines.

When you consider how folks are getting paid to play the game or act as Fortnite tutors, it’s clear it has had quite the impact.

So, it’s not surprising whatsoever - though definitely faintly depressing - to learn Fortnite has had a part to play in a lot of divorce proceedings.

According to data from Divorce Online, addiction to “Fortnite and other online games” has been cited in no fewer than 200 divorce petitions in 2018 alone. That’s roughly 5% of all petitions received by the company.

The numbers mean it’s the only reason for these people wanting a divorce, but it’s certainly a reason given.

“The dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions,” a spokesperson for Divorce Online is quoted as saying.

“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.”

Fortnite has proved popular across pretty much every demographic, including a number of international footballers, many of whom referenced the game in their goal celebrations during the World Cup in Russia and the popularity has seen physical copies of the free-to-play online game fetching huge sums.

However, it turns out you can have too much of a good thing - especially if it comes at the expense of your relationship.

(Images: Fortnite)