Fortnite's First Vehicle is... Unexpected

Screen Rant

By Tyler Treese

Published May 30, 2018

Fortnite is finally getting its first vehicle soon, and it's probably not the type of four-wheeled object that people expected.

Epic Games is teasing the introduction of Fortnite's first vehicle, and it's not exactly what players of the battle royale title were expecting to see. Today's patch added a news browser to the free-to-play shooter, and under the updates tab is a listing that says that a shopping cart is coming soon to the game. The listing reads "Roll into battle alone or with a buddy!"

Fortnite hasn't had vehicles in the past, and it's one of the differentiators between Epic Games' battle royale and other games in the genre. The studio had previously stated that they had no immediate plans to add in vehicles, but also left in the caveat that they weren't against potentially going in that direction in the future. With this new tease, it looks like the developer is finally testing the waters for such additions.

Details are currently scarce regarding just how the shopping cart will be used in Fortnite, but they actually aren't a totally new addition to the game. The carts have been in the game since launch as part of the environment and have become more common in recent months. Lead programmer Michael Noland previously teased that shopping carts would become a vehicle when he commented on a Reddit post titled "Petition to make the shopping carts in Retail Row movable. Imagine the possibilities" back in January. "I am imagining," replied the Epic Games employee.

While certainly an unconventional vehicle, shopping carts do go well with Fortnite's cartoon vibe and already exist within the world. It's a logical inclusion once thought about, and won't be clashing with the current design like some more traditional cars might. It also potentially gives the studio a fun design challenge as they can create a unique vehicle that has to leverage momentum to work. Players have used unorthodox methods, like riding rockets, to get around the in-game map in the past, so it should be fun to see what they'll do with the new vehicle.

The addition of vehicles also eliminates one of the key differences between Fortnite and its main competitor within the battle royale genre, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Considering the two studios are currently involved in a legal situation regarding copyright infringement, it's certainly a bold move that Epic Games would make the games even more similar than they were previously.