"Fortnite" / Epic Games
"Star Wars" is the latest media property to receive its own in-game event in "Fortnite."
- On Saturday, "Fortnite" players got to watch a sneak preview of the soon-to-be-released movie "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
- During the event, players were also greeted by avatars of "The Rise of Skywalker" director J.J. Abrams, and Game Awards host Geoff Keighley.
- Despite the flood of viewers making it difficult to log in, I was able to get into the game for a front row look at the event.
- Here's what "Fortnite's" exclusive "Star Wars" event was like, from quiet start to explosive finish.
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On Saturday, brand new footage from the highly anticipated movie "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" premiered inside of "Fortnite," one of the world's most popular video games. This comes less than a week before the movie's release in the US, on December 20.
Players who logged in at about 2 p.m. EST on Saturday all gathered at a single point on the game's map - an area called "Risky Reels" - to hear a speech from director J.J. Abrams, as well as watch a sneak preview of the upcoming movie. While the event was going on, every player in-game saw and heard the same things, no matter where they were or who they were playing with.
This isn't "Fortnite's" first live whole-game event: Back in February, millions of players logged in to watch a live concert by EDM star Marshmello. This isn't even "Fortnite's" first movie promotion, considering it's advertised for films like "John Wick" and "The Avengers" in the past.
But this is first time a movie studio has used the game to share footage that can't be seen anywhere else, and considering how many people logged on to watch, it likely won't be the last.
Although I've always been a big fan of these live events, I've admittedly never been able to attend one - before now. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, I logged into "Fortnite" to see what the game had planned for their highest profile event yet.
Here's what "Fortnite's" explosive "Star Wars" event was like, from start to finish.