Fortnite is continuing its efforts to create a new metaverse for entertainment, this time by hosting ‘Short Nite’, its own virtual short film festival.
The festival will take place over 24 hours, starting at 2PM ET / 7PM GMT on February 20 and ending at 2PM ET / 7PM GMT on February 21.
The screenings will take place inside Fortnite’s peaceful Party Royale mode, which has previously hosted multiple music concerts, including ones from Diplo and J Balvin. This won’t be the first time the battle royale game has screened films either, previously showing feature-length hits like Batman Begins and Inception in-game.
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It looks like Fortnite is continuing to take advantage of the lack of in-person events due to Covid-19, and opening up even more fun opportunities for its player-base to enjoy free of charge in its virtual world. If the Short-Nite screenings are successful, perhaps we’ll see even more like it in the future.
What films will play during Short Nite?
Short Nite will feature 12 critically acclaimed films, including Academy Award and Bafta winners. So far we know the following films will feature.
- Bench
- Makin' Moves
- Rollin’ Wild
- Car Park
- Maestro
- Oktapodi
- A Single Life
- Catastrophe
- Commuter Glitch
- Creature Comforts
- Lynx & Birds
The films will run every 30 minutes during Short Nite. This should give you plenty of time to watch them all during the weekend festival in case you miss out.
Why is Fortnite hosting a short film festival?
When Fortnite: Save the World first released in 2017, Epic Games likely didn’t expect it to do anywhere near as well as it has done. However, the free-to-play Battle Royale spin-off, inspired by PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds, became an instant success.
Epic Games has been capitalizing on this ever since, launching a Steam rival in the Epic Games Store on PC, trying to do the same on iOS devices, and collaborating with massive media properties to bring cameo appearances from John Wick to The Mandalorian, to Master Chief and Kratos. The last in-game event even saw players fend off Galactus alongside the Avengers.
All of this, alongside the concerts and film screenings, shows that Fortnite isn’t just a battle royale anymore. Epic is creating a metaverse, a digital playpen for us to find enjoyment in whatever fashion we want. Short Nite is their latest attempt, and it gets us excited for whatever could come next.
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