Though little news will do much console those Fortnite players who were ready for the now-delayed Chapter 2 Season 3, the game is hosting a one-of-a-kind Travis Scott concert this weekend. The game's many detractors can say of Epic Games' free-to-play battle royale what they will, but there's no denying that no other online game offers its players these types of passive experiences.
Fortnite has been on a cross-promotional spree for quite some time now, having previously teamed up with Marvel on the lead-up to the premieres of Avengers: Infinity and Endgame and sold NFL team skins around Super Bowl Sunday for two years running. Most recently, the game let players run around as mouthy anti-hero Deadpool and the X-Force, but they've also dipped their toes in other partnerships beyond limited time modes and skin sales. In addition to the game's notorious screening of exclusive Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker featuring footage not even in the actual film, Epic recently broadcast episodes of Quibi's Punk'd reboot at the game's Risky Reels location in a passive game mode for a few days.
Now, Fortnite is bringing an all-digital concert to its quarantined players (not that most them are of age for the real thing), headlined by none other than American hip-hop star Travis Scott. Titled "Astronomical," Fortnite tweets that the trippy in-game musical experience will run "multiple times later this week," with the first show starting at 7:00 PM EDT on Thursdsay, April 23. Beyond those scarce details, it's not clear what Epic and Scott have planned for players who make the doors in time, but it'll certainly be interesting to find out.
As demonstrated by the #RipFortnite versus #ThankYouEpicGames Twitter feud earlier this month, not everyone is happy with the way Epic Games is running its free-to-play cash cow. Many players are, of course, more upset over perceived balancing sleights in whatever the most recent update was than anything substantial, but some view Fortnite's perpetual cross-promotion as annoyingly craven. There's no denying that the game is still the genre leader at present, and, just as it frequently lifts winning formulae from its competitors, those frustrated players are likely worried that other games might start borrowing events like this weekend's concert from it in exchange.
However, they should keep in mind that more passive entertainment in gaming - even when over-generously dipped in advertising - might be more enjoyable for some players than Fortnite's slowly stagnating premise, especially young kids in quarantine who just need something to do. For that audience, here's hoping Travis Scott takes them on an aural trip to the moon and back.
Source: Fortnite