Fortnite will premiere Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld before it airs on Disney+
As we build up to the yearly puntastic celebration of Star Wars on May 4th this weekend, Disney and Epic have announced a new collaboration that, alongside a Star Wars-themed season coming to the Battle Royale game, will see Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld premiere first within Fortnite before it airs on Disney+.
The first two episodes of anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will be watchable on the Star Wars Watch Party island from 3PM UK time on 2nd May. It’s sure to be highlighted within the game, but the island code is 2124-6713-8076.
The island is another example of what’s possible within Unreal Editor for Fortnite, using official Star Wars assets that are available to other creators to mess around with in their own islands. The island features a battle arena where you can fight waves of enemies – there’s no damage in this mode, though.
Another freebie is a First Order Stormtrooper outfit, which can be unlocked by linking an Epic Games account with a MyDisney account.
As was recently announced at Star Wars Celebration, the next season of Fortnite Battle Royale is dubbed Galactic Battle and will kick off on 2nd May. During this event, players can play as Emperor Palpatine, pilot X-wings and TIE Fighters, and it will build up to an in-game event, Death Star Sabotage. Leaning in on the age old memes and jokes, you’ll also be able to play as Darth Jar Jar.
It’s a pretty huge collaboration between Epic and Disney, who previously linked up in the days before the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, hosting a film preview in-game that featured a message from Palpatine – a message that was mentioned in the opening crawl, but not heard by moviegoers.
“For the first time, Disney+ is premiering a show inside a game, launching alongside our largest Star Wars collaboration with Fortnite to date – giving fans and players an exciting first look at the kinds of experiences they can expect as we shape a new future together,” said Sean Shoptaw, Executive Vice President, Disney Games & Digital Entertainment. “We’re building the next era of digital entertainment, where fans can play, watch, create and connect – and we’re just beginning to tap into what’s possible.”
What could leave an odd taste in the mouth, though, is that Disney are putting these episodes out there within a free-to-play game, putting that audience ahead of people who pay for Disney+. Sure, it’s only by two days, as the show will arrive on Disney+ on 4th May, but you’d be understandably a bit miffed if you were in the wrong part of the audience Venn diagram.
Source: press release, Fortnite
