That Fortnite is at the top of the streaming world is no surprise to anyone. Ninja has been breaking records and sitting comfortably as the number one streamer in the world (even if there are some suspicious aspects to his rise). But Battle Royales have been slowly working their way into the number one spot for some time, all starting with Summit1g.

Summit may have gotten his big break with CS:GO, but it was PUBG that skyrocketed his popularity. Like Ninja, Summit was the first big name onto the scene, and with a streaming schedule that virtually no other streamer could handle, Summit built his audience by being the most consistent, quality player in the entire game. Until recently, he was the most popular streamer across all of Twitch, bringing in more viewers than anyone else. However, it wasn’t long before others started rising to the top.

DrDisRespect followed quickly on Summit’s coattails, but unlike Summit, his entire reputation and career was forged on Battle Royales. Starting with H1Z1, the Doc switched to PUBG as it was beginning to climb into popularity. While he does occasionally play Fortnite as well, his primary focus is still on PUBG. And it should be noted that before Ninja came along, the Doc held the record for highest concurrent viewers for an individual streamer, which means the two highest records for most concurrent streamers are owned by two streamers who specialize only in Battle Royales.

The greatest reason for Battle Royales’ success across streaming, though, is due entirely to their design. Battle Royales are rapid fire matches, with the player able to die, load up again, and immediately jump back into the fray to have another shot at beating out one hundred opponents. Unlike the next biggest title in streaming, League of Legends, there is no wait time between matches or even if things start to go sour. If a streamer dies, the match starts anew, and if a game is going poorly, they can simply jump out and start a new one. This is also coupled with the ever increasing tension of a Battle Royale as the survivor count gets closer to single digits.

Every death that wracks up in a Battle Royale puts the streamer one step closer to that victory over 100 foes. By the time a game has whittled down to a dozen players, everyone, including the streamer, is on the edge of their seat to see if they can make it to the very top. It also adds extra layers of pressure to see if the streamer will choke or keep their cool to overcome their enemies.

As of the writing of this, Fortnite currently sits at 218k concurrent viewers, nearly 100k higher than League of Legends. MOBAs may still be the kings of the esport world, but streaming is ruled by the Battle Royales.