Tag: Fortnite

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Epic Games CEO rages over people making fun of Elon Musk’s Twitter Blue

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had a bit of a meltdown over the weekend regarding Elon Musk’s recent removal of legacy Twitter verification.

On April 22nd, Sweeney took aim at those who were supporting the ‘#BlockTheBlue’ campaign, in which people would block accounts that paid for Twitter Blue, calling them “losers and goons.” Strangely, Sweeney — a billionaire thanks to the likes of Fortnite and Epic’s ubiquitous Unreal game development engine — then proceeded to make a reference to his high school experience. “They’re [#BlockTheBlue supporters] the cool kids from junior high who worked to exclude we nerds from cool kid events, plus the losers who joined in to gain cred,” he tweeted.

Given that Sweeney is 52, it’s unclear why he’s trying to draw parallels to actual bullies from 30-plus years ago to people who are now simply taking issue with Twitter Blue. He also got upset when people replied with a popular meme laughing at those who subscribed to Twitter Blue.

For many, the issues with Twitter Blue stem from how it’s defeated the purpose of verification by allowing any random person to just pay to acquire a checkmark. When Twitter Blue checkmarks launched last year, we quickly saw parody accounts impersonate the likes of Nintendo, Valve and even Musk himself. In the era of misinformation, verification has also been especially important to help identify the correct figures in their respective fields, be they actors, politicians, media or medical professionals. For some, “BlockTheBlue” also helps avoid Musk’s avid cult fans who viciously attack others for daring to criticize the billionaire.

Later in his thread, Sweeney went on to say that “an online community like this should be a meritocracy, where everyone has an equal chance, and merit is earned rather than anointed by a corporation.” (It’s unclear how paying for a checkmark equates to “earning” merit.)

“Then someone well-meaningly built a system for preventing impersonation through verification. But they broke the meritocracy with a policy deeming verification only for elite “noteworthy” users, while letting Twitter employees hand out verification to their friends as a perk,” Sweeney added. “At peak, friends of friends of Twitter employees were brokering verification.”

Admittedly, Sweeney does have a point in that there were issues regarding who could be verified prior to Musk’s takeover. For example, celebrities like Canada’s own Seth Rogen blasted previous CEO Jack Dorsey for the platform’s verification of “white supremacists.”

However, Sweeny would later questionably say that the “Key point is, this had NOTHING to do with verifying identity documents to prevent impersonation. They didn’t do that. Twitter employees just clicked a few buttons and you were verified.” Twitter’s own Community Notes feature quickly fact-checked this tweet by pointing out that the legacy verification system did, in fact, require identity verification like government ID or official websites that list your Twitter handle.

Sweeney was also corrected for claiming that Twitter had an “unwritten practice of using verification to condition user speech,” including un-verifying controversial Black supremacist Louis Farrakhan. Community Notes pointed out that one of the requirements for having a blue checkmark was to not have had 12-hour or 7-day lockout from your account for violating rules. In 2018, Twitter said Farrakhan broke its rules by making an anti-Semitic tweet.

It’s also interesting to see Sweeney liken the pushback against Twitter Blue to a bullying “pressure campaign,” as that’s exactly what he attempted to do through Fortnite a few years back. Amid Epic’s highly publicized battle with Apple over the latter’s App Store policies, the Fortnite developer ran a controversial ad in the game to galvanize its millions of young players to fight the iPhone maker. Elsewhere, Sweeney himself made a highly questionable comparison between the Epic-Apple dispute and the civil rights movement.

But apparently, Sweeney draws the line at those making fun of a fellow billionaire and his fans.

Source: Tim Sweeney

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Alpha footage of Horizon’s multiplayer leaks, revealing Fortnite-style character models

Early alpha footage and gameplay of Horizon’s multiplayer project have leaked online. Both videos and screenshots look fairly authentic in their design and are believed to be part of Guerrilla Games’ unannounced project, expanding the Horizon franchise.

In 2022, the Netherlands-based studio revealed its plans to launch a multiplayer-focused game set in the Horizon universe. Not much is known other than a “new internal team” is developing the project. It will also feature a “new cast of characters” and provide an experience for friends to “explore the majestic wilds of Horizon together.” Additionally, Guerrilla Games revealed that the project will offer a “unique stylized look.” It just so happens that this stylized look may have been revealed.

Across both Reddit and ResetEra, alpha footage and screenshots are available to see. Reddit user BirdonWheels, who posted the video, claims that the 12-minute-long alpha footage dates back to the summer of 2020. With this in mind, it’s understandable that the video depicts unpolished character models and environments. However, we’re able to glean that Horizon’s multiplayer project may be trying to replicate a more cartoony vibe. Much of what’s shown is similar to Fortnite’s art and environments. Some of the proportions of the characters draw comparisons to Rare’s Sea of Thieves.

Credit: u/BirdonWheels

The gameplay also suggests there may be some cross-platform performance between the PlayStation ecosystem and PC. In the video, “join PC” and “join PS4” options can be seen, though it remains to be seen how fluid the cross-platform performance may be upon launch.

It’s important to remember that since this is alpha footage dating back three years, a lot can change in the development pipeline. Given that Guerrilla Games has already announced its plans to create a unique look for the game, it’s probably safe to say that this style could be a taste of the final design. However, the interface shown and other aspects could shift and change prior the the project’s release.

Guerrilla Games is about to have one busy year ahead of it. On February 22nd, the studio is headlining the launch of PlayStation VR2 with Horizon Call of the Mountain, a VR-exclusive spinoff. On April 19th, the Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC is launching exclusively on PlayStation 5. Whether Guerrilla Games becomes a triple threat this year remains to be seen.

Image credit: Reddit

Source: Reddit via: Kotaku

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Fortnite may return to iOS this year, teases Epic Games CEO

Fortnite may finally return to iOS in 2023, according to a vague tweet from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.

On New Years Eve, Sweeney simply tweeted “Next year on iOS!” with a follow-up tweet containing an in-game image from Fortnite.

Sweeney didn’t provide any clarification, however, so it’s unclear if and when this might even happen. That said, it would be quite notable if it did, given that Fortnite has been banned from the App Store since 2020. At the time, Apple claimed that Epic violated its App Store policies by launching an in-app payments platform, which would circumvent its requirement to give up a 30 percent revenue share.

Given how much Sweeney has openly criticized Apple, it’s unclear whether he’d come to an agreement with the company. What could happen eventually, though, is Epic just making its own marketplace, now that the EU has ruled that Apple must allow third-party marketplaces on its devices starting in 2024. Epic also continues to contest Apple’s App Store policies in court.

Source: @TimSweeneyEpic

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MrBeast is coming to Fortnite and bringing his $1 million Extreme Survival Challenge with him

YouTube content creator and known philanthropist Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson is coming to Fortnite. This week, players can purchase a MrBeast and MrBeast6000 skin and jump into the new Season 3 Chapter 4 update. With the arrival of his skin, MrBeast is also hosting the Extreme Survival Challenge.

In collaborating with creator Atlas Creative, MrBeast’s Extreme Survival Challenge island can be found in-game. Starting on December 17th at 12pm ET/9am PT, players can try their hand had this MrBeast-inspired challenge. Players must “avoid hazards, collect coins, and survive extreme challenges.” Doing so will earn them “Score.” Players must rack in as much Score as possible before time runs out in the match.

MrBeast’s Extreme Survival Challenge will run for a total of three hours, concluding at 3pm ET/12pm PT on December 17th. Once the allotted time has concluded, the player with the highest Score will earn $1 million USD (roughly $1.3 million CAD). However, the top 100,000 players of the tournament will be awarded the Beast Brella Umbrella cosmetic.

The challenge island goes live on December 13th, allowing players time to get a feel for what’s to come on the 17th. The island can be found on the ‘Discover’ screen or from the island code 7990-6907-8565.

Additionally, there are a series of MrBeast’s Extreme Survival Quests going live on December 13th. Coinciding with the island’s arrival in Fortnite at 9am ET/6am PT, completion of these Quests will earn players the MrBeast Gaming Spray and MrBeast Survival Games Loading Screen.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 debuted earlier this month. It notably brought the new Trail Thrasher mini-bikes, hurdle moveset and several weapon balances.

Additionally, Epic Games and Fornite have been caught in a bit of legal trouble as a class action lawsuit accusing Fortnite of being addictive has been authorized by the Quebec court. Epic Games has states that the case is “meritless” and that the company plans to fight it in court.

Image credit: Epic Games

Source: Epic Games

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Class action lawsuit, accusing Fortnite of being addictive, authorized by Quebec court

A class action lawsuit against Epic Games’ Fortnite is being authorized by Quebec Superior Court Justice Sylvain Lussier. The filing claims Fortnite is designed to be addictive and is having a negative effect on players.

The original lawsuit was first brought to Quebec courts in 2019. At the time, three Quebec parents issued a complaint that Fortnite was impacting the wellness of their children. The parents accused Epic Game’s hit battle royale of affecting the sleeping patterns, hygiene and social skills of their children.

In the filing, one parent claims that a child involved has been diagnosed with an addiction to Fortnite/video games. It’s said the diagnosis was determined by an on-call doctor at a clinic located in Lower St. Lawrence, Quebec. The filing also cites the 2018 acknowledgement of “gaming disorder” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

On top of inciting supposed addictive tendencies, the class action lawsuit also notes the in-game purchases of Fortnite. The plaintiffs discuss the game’s Battle Pass system, various skins, and V-bucks, which are all available for purchase. Allegedly, one child spent $6,000 on skins. Another is said to have spent $600 on V-Bucks, the in-game currency of Fortnite. Superior Court Judge Sylvain Lussier describes both as items “without any tangible value.” In terms of in-game time spent, it’s said one child has spent more than 7,000 hours playing Fortnite over the past two years.

The class action lawsuit is being worked on in part by Jean-Philippe Caron, a CaLex Legal lawyer. Carson states Fortnite “has design patterns that make sure to always encourage player engagement.” He also encourages parents and others whose lives have been negatively affected by Fortnite to get in touch. The judge has modified the criteria for joining the class action. Now, those living in Quebec since September 1st, 2017 and have developed a “dependence” on the game may qualify.

The debate over video game addiction is nearly as old as the medium itself. Much like the WHO, some believe video games can impair a player’s daily life due to how much priority one puts into a game. The use of microtransactions and in-game rewards have also been scrutinized as it often mirrors gambling and associated addictions.

However, this discussion often brings up whether the onus belongs to the developers and publishers, especially when dealing with minors. When it comes to players under the age, many argue that parents should have a better understanding of how their child is spending their time and the ways real-world money can be spent on consoles and PC.

The plaintiffs hope to see “restitution” from Epic Games for all V-Bucks purchases made by Quebec players under the age of 18.

Epic Games has yet to make a statement regarding the lawsuit.

Image credit: Epic Games

Source: CBC

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Star Wars’ Luke, Leia and Han finally make it to Fortnite

Fortnite x Star Wars crossovers are all too common. From Finn, Rey and Kylo Ren to the Mandalorian, Imperial Stormtroopers and Sith Troopers, the game almost feels like an extension of Star Wars.

However, among the slew of crossovers, characters like Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo have never made it to the battle royale. That is, until now.

Fortnite is kicking off a “Skywalker Week” where players are able to pick up the Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo outfits from the Item Shop. Skywalker Week starts November 1st and ends on Tuesday, November 8th at 9am ET/6am PT. During the event, players will be able to find Luke’s blue and green Lightsabers from Imperial Chests, regular Chests and as ground loot.

Darth Vader’s Lightsaber has also been taken out of the vault for the entirety of the event, alongside the E-11 Blaster Rifles and the Junk Rift.

In regards to the outfits, all three new characters seem to have customizable skins, paired with a backbling and pickaxe for each.

More information about the new Star Wars skins and accessories can be found here.

Image credit: Epic Games

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Fortnite collabs with Polo Ralph Lauren for in-game and real-life clothing

Fortnite has quite a few fashion industry collabs under its belt, from Balenciaga and Ferrari in-game clothing to Moncler skins, the game has never felt stale thanks to regular crossovers.

Now, Epic’s battle royale shooter is joining forces with American fashion company Ralph Lauren for real-world clothing and in-game items.

The new in-game skins are inspired by Ralph Lauren’s ‘1992 Stadium’ collection, with “iconic streetwear line infused with the worlds of auto-racing and aviation.” The skin set is being called the ‘Polo Stadium Collection Set,’ and includes new back blings and emotes as well.

The new collection set includes a ‘Stadium Hero ‘92’ player skin and a ‘Polo Prodigy’ outfit, both available in multiple colourways.

The set drops in the Fortnite item shop on November 5th at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

Additionally, Epic Games is hosting a ‘Polo Stadium Cup’ Cup on November 4th, which will award players who rank between 1st and 2,300th with the ‘Polo’ In-Game Cosmetic Bundle. You can find full tournament rules here.

Notably, to celebrate the partnership, Polo Ralph Lauren would also be releasing a physical ‘Polo Ralph Lauren x Fortnite Capsule.’ Drop #1 releases on November 2nd and contains apparel featuring a special Polo x Llama logo and custom embroidery, while drop #2 comes out later in December, and “contains apparel featuring the Polo x Llama logo and a Fortnite-ified take on Polo Stadium’s design elements.”

Image credit: @RalphLauren

Learn more about the crossover here.

Image credit: Epic Games

Source: Epic Games

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A ‘Tonight Show’ experience is live in Fortnite

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Samsung Mobile have teamed up to bring a ‘Tonight at the Rock Powered by Samsung Galaxy’ metaverse gaming experience to Fortnite.

The experience will be a part of Fortnite Creative and showcase an in-game recreation of iconic New York City sights, including Central Park and Times Square, “alongside notable The Tonight Show locations like Rockefeller Center and Studio 6B.” The companies say this will allow players to take a virtual trip around the building and explore what the studio has to offer, including ‘The Tonight Show’s” writer room and a virtual Samsung Store.

The experience includes minigames native to The Tonight Show, like Giant Pong, and game modes like Race Up the Rock, Cabbie Crash Course, and Escape Studio 6B. “Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to partner with Samsung on almost any idea we can dream of,” said Fallon in a statement. “This time, I asked them if we could do something with Fortnite. They immediately said yes, and we’ve created a gaming experience that brings together fans of The Tonight Show and fans of Fortnite.”

‘Tonight at the Rock’ launched in-game on Tuesday, September 20th. Check out the virtual world for yourself using map code 2678-5325-0723.

Image credit: Samsung

Source: Samsung

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Some Fortnite skins are reportedly making their way to Destiny 2

Veteran Destiny 2 data miner @GinsorKR has revealed that Bungie is getting ready to add some Fortnite skins to the free-to-play first-person shooter video game, suggesting a crossover event between the two titles.

According to leaks, Destiny 2 will soon make its way to the Epic Games Store, which might explain the crossover.

The leak suggests that Fortnite‘s Black Knight, Drift, and Omega skins would integrate with Destiny‘s Titan, Warlock and Hunter. It is currently unknown if any other Fortnite skins would make their way to Destiny. On the other hand, Destiny‘s Commander Zavala, Exo Stranger, and Ikora will come to Fortnite as skins, in addition to Destiny-inspired gliders and pickaxes.

The Fortnite skins will go on sale within Destiny 2‘s premium store Eververse, whereas the Destiny skins would go on sale in the Fortnite Item Shop.

Bungie is hosting a Destiny 2 Showcase live on its Twitch and YouTube on Tuesday, August 23rd at 12pm ET where it will reveal the title’s season 18, and that is most likely where we’ll hear about the new crossover.

Image credit: @GinsorKR

Source: @GinsorKR, Via: Polygon

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Fortnite studios help creators by opening up a variety of branding opportunities

Since its first release in 2017, Fortnite has become more than a battle-royale game, with several brand deals for skins and items available over the years.

With that said, Beyond Creative, Alliance Studios, Zen Creative, and TeamUnite are just some of those that have worked with branded Fortnite ‘Creative’ worlds.

Some of the branded worlds created by these studios are Balenciaga, Verizon, the NFL, Nvidia, AMD, Chipotle, GrubHub, and more

In a report from The Verge, Fortnite Creative maps have the potential to be very lucrative and have already done so for studios like Alliance which, depending on the level of work, can have a contract earning a range of “four to six figures” according to Simon Bell, co-owner and art director at Alliance Studios.

With ‘Creative’ releasing within the popular battle-royale game in December 2018, some smaller creators rely on the ‘Support-A-Creator’ Program, which enables qualified ‘Creator Codes’ for creators to be submitted into the item shop.

Once submitted, players who buy something in the item shop with the code activated will support the creator. These ‘Creator Codes ‘ also apply to Rocket League and the Epic Games store.

On the ‘Support-A-Creator’ Program blog posted by Epic, Fortnite players can earn five percent value of in-game purchases with the use of their Creator Code.

However, the amount of money made with the activated codes is generally based on how much ‘V-Bucks’ a player has spent during the activation period.

Roblox and Meta are already competing with Fortnite when it comes to creator monetization allowing players to monetize their custom items within their respective platforms.

With hints from Epic CEO Tim Sweeney on Twitter in response to Fortnite’s current five percent policy for creators, there may just be more on the way for ‘Creative’ creators.

Image Credit: Epic Games

Source: The Verge