In 2018, the culmination of 10 years of Marvel movies and a (mostly) consistent storyline was upon us — Avengers: Infinity War. Unsurprisingly, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe grew with iconic or new faces, the popularity of the MCU grew too, and as we reached the peak of the Infinity Saga, there was nothing quite like it in pop culture.
However, while Avengers: Infinity War and the subsequent release of Endgame 2019 has forever changed the movie industry, so to has Fortnite. Today, Epic Games' battle royale is synonymous with collaborations, and it's almost surprising when Fortnite isn't working with a major IP. But, back in 2018, it was vastly different, and Infinity War was the catalyst that changed everything.
As a Fortnite player since the day it launched, little did I know how big the free game would get. Way before everyone was looking up the best Fortnite 1v1 map codes, trying the best weapons, or checking out rumors for Attack on Titan coming to Fortnite, the Epic Games shooter was vastly different. It was still a solid battle royale game, with a unique gimmick in the form of a building mechanic, but it wasn't anywhere near the monolith it is today.
Fortnite catapulted the idea of battle passes into the mainstream, and while the idea of limited-time reward tracks are fairly common now, it was something that the free-to-play game proudly introduced. However, the common premise in Fortnite's passes were skins seemingly inspired by pop culture icons at the time, such as Season 3's The Reaper being remarkably similar to John Wick.
The 'copycat' outfits were the start of an idea, but it was Chapter 1 Season 4 that drastically changed Fortnite forever. The superhero-themed season saw a storyline about a meteor crashing down into a beloved Point of Interest, and the resulting theme was all about superpowers. Strangely, it lined up with the release of one of the biggest Marvel movies ever. Either it's a huge coincidence, or Epic Games were working behind the scenes on the idea for a little while.
It was here when the gaming industry changed. Epic Games announced a collaboration with Marvel for the Infinity Gauntlet event, which saw players take on the role of Thanos against other players in the battle royale's limited-time mode. It was a very fun mode, but Epic Games unknowingly opened Pandora's Box — for better and worse.
Since then, Fortnite has become the collaboration game. Epic Games has found itself with arguably the only working example of a metaverse, as players can now take their Spider-Man skins into Lego Fortnite or dive into Fortnite Festival to play the biggest tracks from the latest artists. It's a huge change from the humble and shamelessly-inspired skins back in Fortnite's first few months.
Unfortunately, it's taken away some of the magic of old Fortnite. Epic Games has made it a shiny, collaboration-ready experience that still feels like Fortnite, but in a Ship of Theseus-style situation. Sure, it's still Fortnite, but how much of the DNA of the original 2017 battle royale is left at this point?
And, for many gamers, the Pandora's Box had the unforeseen effects on other games too. Call of Duty is following a similar pattern, with Godzilla stomping across Warzone maps and The Boys' Homelander entering matches. For some players, that could be a fine way to spend money in a game you're enjoying, but for others, it's a sign of the times for a changing, live-service-focused industry. How far will it go, and will Pandora's Box ever shut again?