Fortnite announced today that it will starts a fresh season of OG Battle Royaletitled Chapter 2 Remix, in collaboration with Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice, Eminem and posthumously Juice WLRD. Each week in November, Fortnite will feature a cascade of fresh map locations, “revamped” by artists, culminating in a final event.
The Chapter 2 remix was revealed with a surprise billboard takeover in New York’s Times Square on Friday night featuring performances by Ice Spice and Snoop Dogg. (Ice Spice played “Princess Diana” and Snoop Dogg played “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”, “Gorgeous”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “The Next Episode”). The concert was also streamed live simultaneously on Fortnite.
In the first week we will hear the touch of Snoop Dogg, who will remix the engaging place formerly known as The Agency as The Dogg Pound. It will also bring back the boogie bomb, which triggers the “Throw it when it’s hot” option.
“I just wanted the whole atmosphere of my world to be transferred to Fortnite,” Snoop Dogg added.
In week two, Eminem will take over The Grotto as Spaghetti Grotto (playing at his mom’s restaurant Spaghetti in Detroit) with a “Rap God” machine gun that spits out lyrics from the 2013 song.
Week three will feature Ice Spice’s Y2K, the New York-inspired Shark Island. Finally, week 4 will be a tribute to Juice WLRD who died in 2021 being only 21 years elderly. Epic says it worked closely with his mother, estate and record label Interscope to bring the work to life. “Jarad always loved playing Fortnite – it was more than just fun for him, it was a way to connect with others,” his mother, Carmela Wallace, said in a statement.
The fresh season will start in three phases: Prelude on November 1; On November 2 with the official release of Chapter 2 and on November 30 with the Finale, which will be an as yet unannounced in-game event. However, all players who participate will receive a free cel-shaded outfit.
“We’re starting to see artists understand that gaming is a fun and important place to meet fans where they are,” said Nate Nanzer, vice president of Global Partnerships, during a press event ahead of the show. “There are a lot of experiments that bring music and games closer together.”
Emily Levy, director of strategic partnerships, said artists are seeing an 8.7% escalate in consumption on streaming platforms after introducing music to games. “Fortnite has become an essential stop for artists on their tours to engage with their campaigns and release cycles,” she said.
At the same event, Fortnite also announced kicks, a fresh cosmetic item; Players will now be able to choose custom shoes for their avatars. The first will be a classic pair of Air Jordan high tops.
Leanna Butkovic is IGN’s editorial project manager.
