I feel like it’s been a really long time since I really heard much about Fortnite, the Battle Royale game that only a few short months ago was one of the hottest names in entertainment. Much of that is largely because the game is simply so ubiquitous now. To be sure, Epic Games is still raking in the cash from the popular shooter, and they may be about to bring in even more, because the game just announced that Deadpool is joining the fight.
The trailer for Fortnite‘s new Season 2 dropped today, and it included the revelation that Deadpool is part of the game’s new season, though exactly what that means isn’t entirely clear yet.
While Fortnite might have been a game that hadn’t made as much noise in recent months, the inclusion of Deadpool in the game has certainly changed that. The internet is sort of freaking out, nobody more so that Deadpool co-creator himself Rob Liefeld.
Fortnite‘s structure is insidiously brilliant. The game itself, which pits up to 100 people on a large, but ever shrinking map, to kill each other until only one remains, is free-to-play. Anybody can download the game and join the fight right now. And all players are on an equal footing. While many multiplayer games reward consistent players with new abilities that will give them a permanent advantage over those less skilled or newer, Fortnite doesn’t do that.
Instead, the game uses a Battle Pass system, which is something players purchase, and then, as they play, they unlock various cosmetic rewards, new skins, outfits and emotes (brief animations) that let players differentiate themselves. This is where Fortnite makes its money, to the tune of almost $2 billion last year. That was down from $2.5 billion in 2018.
While the game certainly isn’t hurting for funds, there clearly has been a drop in players, and bringing Deadpool into the game seems designed to try to entice players to spend more time with the game, including those that may have put it down on a more permanent basis. It appears that plan might work out.
While Deadpool joining Fortnite has certainly succeeded in increasing interest in the game, those players will have to wait and see exactly what is needed to unlock the character. Normally something like the Deadpool skin would just be available to purchase with in-game currency, earned from playing the game, but instead Deadpool looks to be unlocked by executing secret challenges, and those challenges will be available over the course of the new season, so to get Deadpool, you’ll need to keep coming back to Fortnite over the next few weeks.
Deadpool isn’t the first time that a Marvel character has been part of Fortnite, Thanos made an appearance during a previous season of the game, and Star Wars also joined the game around the time The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters, so clearly Disney and Epic Games have an ongoing relationship.
Is the idea of playing as Deadpool in Fortnite enough to get you to return to the game, or maybe give it a try for the first time? Let us know in the comments.