Italy Plays Shocking Amount of Fortnite to Fight Coronavirus Lockdown Blues

• Telecom Italia has seen internet traffic increase by over 70% since Italy went into lockdown earlier this week.
• Much of this is attributed to online games, including the popular battle royale Fortnite.
• Internet traffic is likely to surge as more countries implement coronavirus contingency plans.

As people around the world brace for the coronavirus pandemic to peak, Italians cloistered at home are flocking to Fortnite to pass the time following a nationwide lockdown.

Italy Flocks to Fortnite During Coronavirus Lockdown

With schools closed across the European nation, younger Italians are stressing the limits of telecommunications company Telecom Italia’s network.

Internet traffic passing through the company’s network has reportedly increased by two thirds following the lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Monday.

The measure was taken as Italy weathers the largest outbreak to hit Europe since the coronavirus surfaced late last year in Wuhan, China.

To date, the country has seen over 1,000 people lose their lives to the virus. The number of infections in Italy has stormed past 15,000 in recent days.

The company’s CEO, Luigi Gubitosi, says online multiplayer games, including the popular battle royale shooter Fortnite, are gobbling up bandwidth.

Gubitosi says:

We reported an increase of more than 70% of Internet traffic over our landline network, with a big contribution from online gaming such as Fortnite.

As the favored online game of younger players, it’s no wonder that Italian youngsters are making the most of the coronavirus lockdown and vying for that coveted Victory Royale.

Internet Traffic To Surge

With more countries opting to implement social distancing, closing schools, and recommending self-isolation, we’re likely to see an upsurge in internet traffic across the globe.

Many will turn to video streaming services. But online games like Fortnite are likely to command the most substantial chunk of bandwidth. This is due to the sheer data demands of playing online. People are also likely to reach for online games as the need for social interaction heightens.

Telecommunications companies across Europe are already expecting an upsurge due to the coronavirus and are planning ahead, notably Vodafone in the United Kingdom.