One of Fortnite‘s most long-awaited crossovers might not be happening after all it seems.
A few weeks back, data miners discovered a series of assets in the battle royale’s files hinting at an impending event to celebrate the release of It: Chapter Two in cinemas. The sequel, which sees the heroic Losers’ Club return to Derry, Maine, in order to finish their fight with the monstrous being known as Pennywise, has since landed at the box office, but Fortnite‘s proposed collaboration is nowhere to be seen.
For the record, Epic Games has never confirmed the existence of such an occasion, though in light of the events that transpired in-game last week, many had expected a continuation of some sort. For those that missed the neat little homage to Stephen King’s creation, Battle Island regulars reported the appearance of red balloons tied to storm drains in various places around the map. When popped, the calling card would prompt the unmistakable shrill laughter of Pennywise to play.
Since then, we’ve heard not so much as a peep out of Epic in regards to a follow-up event or something similar, so what gives? With an official explanation unlikely, the leading assumption is simply that the developer never intended for the reference to It: Chapter Two to be anything but that.
Yes, it’s true that the cross-promotion was prematurely discovered by players, but no character model for Pennywise – or limited-time challenges that usually coincide with these sorts of events – was ever found. Those still holding out hope for something bigger have suggested that Epic had perhaps originally intended for something bigger, but either cancelled its plans or simply delayed them until a later date.
We’ll be keeping close tabs on any potential further developments but ultimately, it looks like Pennywise’s invasion of Fortnite was never meant to be. Sad times.
