Latest Fortnite season adds Lara Croft and Neymar Jr.
The undisputed king of battle royale games, and favorite of 11-year-olds everywhere, Fortnite has launched Season 6 with a new battle pass and a barrage of new skins. The game continues to blur the lines between real and virtual worlds by including Brazilian football player Neymar Jr. as a usable skin. Other famous pop culture skins include Lara Croft and Raven from Teen Titans.
First time a real-life sportsman has been included in Fortnite
The inclusion of Paris Saint-Germain's star footballer makes it the first time a sports personality has appeared as a Fortnite skin. Epic Games is widening Fortnite's appeal beyond the Unites States by roping in football fanbase. The sport is huge in Europe and the rest of the world. Last year, Epic had cut a deal with 20 international football clubs to include their kits.
Russo Brothers of 'Avengers' fame direct Zero Crisis trailer
The Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 6 trailer is a Marvel's Avenger-esque pastiche of film, comic, and video game superheroes, with pretty nifty references to scenes and props from properties such as Terminator, Aliens, God of War, and Halo, among others. Not entirely surprisingly, the Zero Crisis trailer was written and directed by Russo Brothers best known for directing Marvel movies including the Avengers series.
'Primal' portions of the island might involve some tomb raiding
The inclusion of Lara Croft is another significant cosmetic inclusion in the Season 6 update. The iconic star of Tomb Raider games is the rare video game character that's successfully broken into films and pop culture. The current season will see parts of the island reverting to the "Primal" state, which is a convenient excuse to introduce some tombs for Croft's raiding pleasure.
Fortnite ticks off pop culture references with Rebirth Raven skin
Finally, the Rebirth Raven skin from the Teen Titans comic series is a nod to the Fortnite's comic book fanbase. The original character Raven is one of the founding members of the original Teen Titans animated series. The Rebirth Raven character arc in particular originates from the Teen Titans: Rebirth comics. This is Fortnite essentially ticking all the pop-culture boxes to widen its appeal.