After a rough start, Fornite showed off an exclusive with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker clip from its in-game cinema.
Fortnite is becoming known for its unique in-game live events. Players have seen the map destroyed live together a few times now. The Star Wars event struggled from the same issues as the end of Fortnite’s Season 10 with the servers failing to cope with the strain. Many players – myself included – failed to log in to watch the event (I watched it through Twitch streamer Nickmercs). The event was postponed by ten minutes but many players still couldn’t make it in.
The event kicked off with the platform rising in the air which players flew onto. Some of John Williams classic Star Wars music was playing in the background. Suddenly, the Millennium Falcon swoops into the sky and does a few loops around the players.
Then, as if straight from the movies, Star Destroyers blink into the sky one by one and Tie Fighters attack the Falcon. The ships battle in the sky until the Millennium Falcon emerges victorious. The Falcon then swoops down and lands on the platform.
A hologram appears and host Geoff Keighley introduces the event. A crate floats out of the Falcon with a stormtrooper and lands in front of the players. Keighley and the Stormtrooper banter for a minute then they introduce director JJ Abrams, who emerges from the Falcon as a Fortnite skin. They banter again, with Abrams remarking “I’ve never been thinner!”
Players are asked to vote on what scene they expect to see, choosing from the Knights of Ren, Rey and Kylo, a Jedi mind trick and Darth Jar Jar (probably not a real option, sadly).
The Clip
The short scene that is shown has Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 sneaking into a First Order hanger avoiding patrolling Stormtroopers. They’re caught by a duo of Stormtroopers and Rey uses a Jedi mind trick to convince the guards to let them pass, mirroring a similar scene with Alec Guinness in A New Hope.
After the scene has concluded, JJ Abrams asks one more thing from the players – to vote on what their favorite lightsaber color. Then the Millennium Falcon flies away and the chest opens, giving each player a lightsaber of what color they chose. The players battle until the match is over.
Like many of Fortnite’s events before it, this was a spectacle. It’s amazing to think about how millions of players from around the world simultaneously watched a movie together in-game. Server issues aside, Epic Games have once again pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved in gaming.
