"Fortnite" is becoming a frequent cause for divorce, an online divorce website said last week of the free video game mode that has grown into a billion-dollar empire since its release last fall.
Since January, at least 200 divorce petitions filed through U.K.-based site Divorce Online have cited "Fortnite: Battle Royale" as the main culprit for relationship breakdowns.
The number makes up 5 percent of all cases received by the website over the same time period.
A spokesperson noted that in the past, relationship breakdowns were attributed to addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling but "the dawn of the digital revolution has introduced new addictions."
Earlier this year the World Health Organization officially listed video game addiction as a mental health disorder, USA Today noted.
The "gaming disorder" was included in the 11th edition of the WHO's International Classification of Diseases, which described gaming addiction as "impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences."
"Fortnite" has caused disruptions in sports fields, classrooms and now relationships but this has not dented its mounting sales, Fortune reported.
Some schools are catching up with the trend and even handing out "Fortnite" scholarships, Forbes reported.
Ashland University in Ohio recently formed an esports program and is offering top "Fortnite" players $4,000 worth of tuition.
Despite the game's booming success, it is still interfering with relationships.
"It is no surprise to us that more and more people are having relationship problems because of our digital addictions," a Divorce Online spokesperson said.
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