Fortnite's come a long way since its days of being a slightly strange sandbox survival/tower defense hybrid. It's held virtual concerts, let me gun down Godzilla as Hatsune Miku, and lest we forget the bizarre Star Wars event in 2019 where players were treated to an exclusive broadcast that was later referenced in Rise of the Skywalker, a 15-minute clip from the movie, and I guess Geoff Keighley was also there for whatever reason.
Well, get ready for more Star Wars shenanigans this week. Not only is the Star Wars-themed battle pass kicking off on May 2 (c'mon Epic, not even May 4?) but it's also giving players the chance to watch two episodes of the upcoming miniseries Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. Two whole days before it hits Disney+.
The watch party is kicking off on May 2 at 7 am PT / 10 am ET / 3 pm BST—sorry West Coasters—with Epic also promising blaster and lightsaber battles, with waves of Stormtroopers to keep things exciting between episode viewings. It's gone ahead and built a whole Star Wars-themed island for the occasion, too, with "a breathtaking environment inspired by a galaxy far, far away."
Epic president Adam Sussman called the collaboration "a glimpse into the type of interactive experiences we envision," adding "we are reimagining what's possible with immersive storytelling in Fortnite with one of the world's most beloved franchises—stay tuned for a lot more to come."
Admittedly I'm in two minds. There's part of me that thinks this is pretty rad. Hell, growing up, I used to spend way too much time in the Gaia Online theatre—shoutout if anyone knows what the hell I'm talking about—and some of my earliest exposure to anime came through watching random episodes of stuff like Mushi-Shi there.
Exclusivity aside, I think it's kinda neat to create the opportunity to expose younger folk to Star Wars and potentially form a lifelong interest. And for the Venn diagram of Star Wars and Fortnite enjoyers, it's a pretty unique way to experience watching the show. Like a virtual drive-in theatre. Except with like, chug jugs and probably someone dressed as Juice WRLD running around being a bit of a dick.
On the flip side, it's probably incredibly annoying for non-Fortnite players who are looking forward to the miniseries. It's the kind of scenario that presents ample opportunity for spoilers to flood social media before a huge chunk of people even get the chance to watch, even if it's just two days before the full thing hits Disney+.
Whatever side of the fence you're on, I'm hoping it's a similar chaotic spectacle to what we witnessed back in 2019. While I'm not a Star Wars fan myself—I know, I know, sorry—I'm still excited to see my pals get hyped and I'm sure I'll get stuck in with them a little bit when it all launches later this week.
If you're wanting to go all on-theme with some Star Wars skins (and you don't have the ones already available), you can link your MyDisney to your Epic account for a free Stormtrooper skin. You don't need to have a Disney+ subscription or anything, so feel free to get stuck in.
