Fortnite's new crossover event is advertising Borderlands 3
FortniteXMayhem
Epic have long sold Fortnite as an advertising platform through crossover events, but the latest stands out from prior crossovers by advertising another video game. The FortniteXMayhem event is now live, turning a corner of the map into a Borderlands 3 cartoon dustland. Advertising for another game is quite odd, with previous branded events being more for the likes of John Wick 3, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Nike Jordan shoes, and dad-friendly musicians Weezer. But Borderlands 3 is an Epic Games Store exclusive so there is #synergy here - especially with bonus Fortnite clobber on offer if you buy Borderlands 3 from Epic.
The Pandora region in Fortnite has plenty of Borderlands-lookin' scrap buildings, treasure chests which look like the Borderlands boxes, and such. The zone also plays a touch more like Gearbox's game, automatically regenerating the shields of players if they go a while without taking damage.
A series of themed challenges available to all players offer a Borderlands-themed weapon wrap, spray, and banners. For those with cash to splash, a 'Psycho Bundle' contains a skin to look like one of those masked Borderlands lads, a Claptrap robot as a backpack friend, and a buzzsaw on a stick for a pickaxe skin. That is sold separately for 2000 V-Bucks (about £16/$20) or comes free if you buy Borderlands 3 on the same Epic account by the end of December 2020.
This is all a bit weird considering Fortnite is hugely popular with the kiddywinkles (while it is officially rated Teen by the ESRB and 12 by PEGI, what does that mean for a game whose asking price is an e-mail address?) and Borderlands is rated Mature 17+ in North America. John Wick 3 is rated even higher (R, and 15 here) but that is at least a whole separate medium. One predictable outcome of this crossover is dear little darlings nagging their parents for Borderlands 3 so they can get the skins and impress their pals. Won't someone think of the children?
The Borderlands 3 crossover event will run until September 10th. Borderlands 3 is due to launch on the Epic Games Store on September 13th. Unlike most of their timed exclusives, Epic only have this one locked down for six months.
Today's Fortnite update also added a new item (the Shield Bubble), removed three weapons (including re-vaulting the Drum Gun), and nerfed B.R.U.T.E.s again after last week's big hits by making their icon appear on the map even when someone's driving. See the v10.20 patch notes for more.