Fortnite has teamed up with the Avengers again, this time launching a deeper integration in unison with the release of Avengers: Endgame. The partnership is a win-win for Epic Games and Disney, as Fortnite will re-engage its user-base with the buzz surrounding Avengers: Endgame and Disney will promote its most anticipated Marvel film ever to Fornite’s 250M registered players. This year’s event features licensed skins, a new “Endgame” limited-time game mode (LTM), and a set of challenges specific to Endgame LTM.
The Marvel skins are Fortnite’s third and largest foray into licensed content. In the past, they’ve partnered with the NFL to sell virtual character jerseys and offered Marshmello items along with the virtual concert in February. This time, they’re adding Marvel skins to the store that are available for a limited time. The first skin, Black Widow, is available for 1500 V-bucks (~$15). There is also a pickaxe (800 V-bucks) and an emote (200 V-bucks) to go along with it. All-in, the full basket for Black Widow will cost about $25. It is reported that Fortnite will offer one other Avengers skin, pickaxe, and emote, set to be released sometime into the weekend. While there is no singular event surrounding the Avengers like the Marshmello concert, the challenges and LTM mode will be around for about a week. Given the extended duration and cultural popularity of Marvel, Fortnite should see sales of virtual goods well above its typical level of $5 to $10 million per day, and even the estimated $30 million around the Marshmello concert.
The Endgame LTM is the furthest deviation from its traditional Battle Royale yet. We’ve continued to see Fortnite push the boundaries of what its game truly is with events like this, the Marshmello concert, and the addition of creative mode. Epic Games is keen on establishing Fortnite as a platform where players talk to their friends, create unique worlds, compete against others and experience pop culture events. Fortnite is quickly establishing itself as an early example of the Metaverse. Tim Sweeney, Founder of Epic Games, has mentioned in multiple interviews that he has ambitions to build a Metaverse. The Marshmello concert was the first marker that showed how far Fortnite has gone beyond being a battle royale game and today’s addition of superhero abilities and characters to the world of Fortnite shows Epic is serious about building a virtual world where people can be anyone, do anything, or go anywhere. As time goes on, we’ll see Fortnite form more partnerships with world-renowned IP and continue to push the boundaries in gaming.
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