I haven’t watched Stranger Things since its first season, but I seemingly cannot escape from the constant reminder that its final hurrah is airing later this year. Part of that is my fault for refusing to cough up for ad-free Netflix, but I now also have Epic Games to add to the list of culprits: it’s turning Fortnite’s Blitz Royale mode into a hellscape not dissimilar to the Upside Down later this month along with a huge Stranger Things shop drop.
Will, Lucas, Mike, and Dustin are arriving as skins—I can’t tell if it’s a classic Fortnite limb-stretch-to-fit-model-proportions situation or if the kids really do just look like that now, I howl from my rocking chair—as well as creepy skinsuit Vecna. Fortnite is promising a full suite of back blings, pickaxes, emotes, and LEGO minifigure versions to go alongside them. As much as it’s not my bag, I certainly wouldn’t mind a few cheeky D&D references worming their way in as a result.
As for Blitz Royale, there’s not too much info on that front just yet. If it’s anything like the Iron Man theme we got a couple months back, we’ll be getting a full-fledged mini Stranger Things-themed map complete with relevant items. This might also be our chance to see the return of the Upside Down portals which made an appearance six years ago when the first collaboration dropped during Season 9, introducing The Demorgon, Eleven, and Jim Hopper as skins.
As someone who isn’t particularly infatuated with the Hellfire Club, this one is a pretty firm miss for me. But hey, I’ve already been eating pretty good this year in the battle royale thanks to collaborations with Hatsune Miku, Gorillaz, K-Pop Demon Hunters, and The Simpsons. For me, I’ll be adding this one onto the list of “cool for other people, but not for me” as I did with all the superhero stuff earlier this year and the Star Wars mini season.
The Stranger Things Fortnite Blitz Royale map will kick off on November 21, with the Stranger Things skins dropping in the shop later tonight. The stuff from Season 9 will also no doubt be making a comeback—it all last made an appearance at the end of August, so it’s ripe for another showing.
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