Much ofFortnite’s appeal can be attributed to its consistent crossover content. The latestFortniteevent is not a promotional tie-in to a new movie or other video game franchise, but a thoughtful experience centered around Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Since its launch,Fortnitehas continued to add new ways for players to express themselves, consistently releasing new skins, events and game modes. One of the most powerful tools at players' disposal is the Creative Mode, introduced in 2018, which gives players to actually create game modes and maps themselves. Players have time and time again impressed with incredible creations, like a recreation ofPeach’s Castle inFortnite’s Creative Mode, or a highly detailed cyberpunk city. It was only a matter of time before large creators would capitalize on this tool and make a unique experience only possible inFortnite.
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In a post to the PlayStation Blog, Ryan Broseker, Community Manager at Epic Games, announced “March Through Time,” aFortniteCreative experience educating players on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This experience was developed by notable members of the Creative community ChaseJackman, GQUanoe, XWDFr, and YU7A, and is presented by TIME Studios. Set in D.C. 63, a reimagining of Washington, DC, the mode features recreations of the Lincoln Memorial and the United States National Mall where players will get to learn about the life and legacy of Dr. King. WhileFortnitecontinues to add content like theJ. Balvin Icon Skinfor players to express themselves in the main game, “March Through Time” is tonally and purposefully quite unlike anything the game has done before.
There are a variety of activities players can participate in while playing the “March Through Time” experience. For starters, players will be able to listen to the entirety of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech while attending the United States National Mall. “March Through Time” also features a variety of quests and “museum-inspired points of interest,” as Broseker describes, that will take people through Dr. King’s life and the history of the Civil Rights Movement. By completing all of the quests, players can unlock the “D.C. 63” spray, a tasteful and fitting reward not requiring players to do anything out of the ordinary like they had to for anexclusive WalmartFortnitespray a few years ago.
This project is intriguing for a number of reasons. It is incredible forFortniteto so prominently market an experience surrounding Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, considering all that has happened in the United States over the last year. While it definitely seems like a strange experience at first, considering the game and medium, the seriousness and respectfulness that Epic Games is handling it may just open the door for more interactive historical experiences within the game and others. As fun as it is to seeThe Suicide Squadskins inFortnite, this experience shows that zany crossovers are not the only thing the game is capable of.
Fortniteis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
