Epic Games looked to be on the brink of sparking the most unexpected crossover between Fortnite Battle Royale and upcoming thriller movie IT Chapter Two, but it appears that the bubble has burst for the potential event.
While the idea of having scary movie features added to the free-to-play battle royale game might have raised a few eyebrows, considering how many children play Fortnite on a regular basis, there’s no denying that the clues appeared to be stacking up.
The game’s developers have linked up with the makers of the John Wick franchise in the past for a crossover event, which is a rated R movie, so it wasn’t out of the realms of possibility that this was about to be triggered – especially after players made some interesting discoveries.
Fortnite x IT Chapter Two leaks (Aug 28)
Not everybody would have believed it at first, but back on August 28 a series of datamines from leakers FortTory and HYPEX uncovered potential crossover features in the game files.
One included a balloon that looked very similar to that of Pennywise – the main clown villain from the movies – along with a series of audio clips which seemed to sound a lot like the character. Even then, though, there will have been some doubters.
These “illinois” quest sound files were added this update..Fortnite X IT Chapter 2 Collab with challenges ? pic.twitter.com/yV2hiEIwbX
— HYPEX – Fortnite Leaks & News (@HYPEX) August 27, 2019
More info regarding a possible Fortnite X IT.
A creepy Balloon got added into the files… pic.twitter.com/ADPQqzUcMm
— FortTory – Fortnite Leaks & News (@FortTory) August 27, 2019
Balloon discovered! (Sep 4)
However, Fortnite players made what could turn out to be a huge discovery on September 4, after spotting what looked like Pennywise’s balloon at the Pleasant Park point of interest.
Those who have been playing the game for a long time, however, will know that the map is constantly gaining new features, both big and small. Some fans were dubbing this as our first teaser for the new event, at least it seemed that way.
Confirmation? (Sep 4)
There’s been no official word from Epic Games as to whether or not this crossover is coming soon, but what we did have was an initial endorsement of the idea.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
On September 4, the day a balloon was found in-game, the official IT Chapter Two Twitter account retweeted a Fortnite Intel article linking the movie to Fortnite.
There are numerous ways that this crossover could have been sparked in Season 10, with Rift Beacons being added to different areas on a regular basis and locations seemingly ever-changing.
Should the event take place, there’s no doubt that we could see an IT-inspired zone added to the game, just like they did with Borderlands’ Pandora Rift Zone or having John Wick’s house feature.
Balloon is gone! (Sep 9)
While all of those ideas sound great and seemed fairly possible following the discovery of the balloon, those who wanted to see what may come from this event might have been dealt a major blow on September 9 as the balloon disappeared from Pleasant Park.
The sidewalk, however, still looks the same way as it did when the balloon was there, with the house destroyed.
IT Chapter Two released on September 6 and judging by other themed events we’ve seen in the past, we usually see these type of crossovers kick off before that time.
Sadly, there’s now a chance that this might not turn out to be an event after all, but simply Epic adding a map feature as a nod to the movie franchise. Only time will tell.
Article last updated on September 10, 2019 at 04:23am (EST).