Fortnite is undeniably one of the most popular games in the world. So, it’s rather surprising that there has been no attempt to capitalize on that success with a movie or TV adaptation. Now, according to a new report, it sounds like developer and publisher Epic Games is seriously considering bringing its battle-royale game to the big screen.
The report comes from The Information (and has been covered by Eurogamer), which says that Epic Games is in talks to set up to launch a new entertainment division to create scripted video programming. One project that’s being discussed is a Fortnite movie, although there are no real details about it yet.
From the sound of it, the plan is still in its infancy, but Epic Games has been making moves to set up this new entertainment division. Earlier this year, it hired several top executives from Lucasfilm. Namely, Lynn Bartsch, Chris Furia, and Jason McGatlin, the last of which has been appointed president of Special Projects as it is so far called. During his time at Lucasfilm, McGatlin served as an executive producer on all of Disney’s Star Wars films.
The Information adds that this decision to diversify was prompted by Epic Games’ legal battles with Apple and Google. Although its lawsuit with Apple resulted in Apple needing to fundamentally change how it operates its app store, Epic Games was not satisfied with the outcome. As of now, Fortnite is still unavailable on mobile platforms and could very well remain that way for several more years.
With it unable to make any revenue through the mobile market, Epic Games is simply looking at new, alternate means to earn more money. Branching out into other forms of media like movies and TV shows certainly makes sense, especially with Fortnite’s brand recognizability.
The real question is what sort of direction the Fortnite movie would take, assuming it is greenlit. Fortnite has enough backstory and complex lore that could be fleshed out in a movie. And with a large cast of original characters, almost any one of them could be the star of the whole thing. Not to mention the game features so many cameo characters from across comic books, movies, and other video games. With the likes of Batman, Rick and Morty, and real-life celebrities like Ariana Grande, a movie could operate in the same vein as Ready Player One or Space Jam: A New Legacy and just offer an opportunity to have all these disparate characters on screen at once.
Movie adaptations of video games have suffered a reputation for always been awful for years, but recent efforts seem to have made them more appealing. The likes of Detective Pikachu and the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie have not only been box office successes, but they’ve also resonated with the fan-bases. If pulled off well, a Fortnite movie could be another massive money maker for Epic Games.
Fortnite is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: The Information, Eurogamer