Millions tuned in for Fortnite’s latest map-shifting event and it was a sight to behold. The purple runic cube, endearingly named Kevin by the community, is no more departing in flurry of light and inter-dimensional fireworks.
Over 3 million people showed up to witness the end to Fortnite Halloween festivities as a live in-game event unfolded marking the end of the cube’s two-season-long story arc. Kevin exploded after spinning frantically on itself, presumably unable to contain its own power, ushering in a purple-infused detonation of epic proportions, bathing player’s screen in a piercing white light, before dropping them into what appeared to be an inter-dimensional plane strewn with ethereal light and a deep chasm.
As players were suspended in the air, all other spectators could be seen in the distance, before a pulsating butterfly was summoned resembling the rifts that set in motion the whole cube story b ack at the end of Season 4. In a short animation, each player tried desperately to touch the quick fluttering butterfly. As contact was made, a crescendo of rising music erupted, sending the players back to the familiar skies above the Fortnite
In place of the floating island and the wake of Kevin’s slow advancement, the lake is now formed of a patterned archipelago of small islands, the largest of which now sports stone menhirs reminiscent of British druid heritage site Stonehenge. The islands are interspersed with waterfalls, rainbows, and grassy embankments for a zen garden-like atmosphere at odds with the tumultuous vibe of recent months and the errant monsters players have had to contend with.
The event was for all intents and purposes a raging success that further solidifies Epic Games’ reputation for top notch environmental storytelling. The fact players were able to experience the event in unison, visually being able to spot one another as the scenario unfolded is unprecedented.
If only we knew what it was all about. Though stunning, it raises more questions about Fortnite’s ongoing narrative than it answers.
