There is no stopping the never-ending rush of ads coming to Fortnite: Battle Royale, whether they make much sense or not. Last week we had Borderlands 3, which brought a neat cel-shading effect to a corner of the map alongside a couple of challenges to gin us up for Gearbox's upcoming loot shooter. Shortly before that we had Major Lazer, who cut a fine figure as a Fortnite skin. And now we've got IT Chapter Two, the sequel to Stephen King's terrifying clown flick which I am definitely not going to see. It looks like I'm going to experience it on some level, however, because these balloons are already showing up in Fortnite:
balloon skin in fortnite
Even the horror-averse like myself will instantly recognize these as the red balloons that hang over sewer grates in this world, luring children into the clutches of cosmic evil in the form of a clown. There has yet to be an official announcement, but we can likely expect this tomorrow alongside the new weekly challenges: the movie comes out on September 6, so it's time for a cross-promotion. I'd be surprised if we saw something as involved as Borderlands 3's Rift Zone, though you never know. A Pennywise skin is a near-certainty: we've already got some terrifying clowns in this game, but Pennywise is sort of the terrifying clown. It'll sell, that I don't doubt. We might also get some challenges that revolve around popping these balloons.
The balloons don't do anything except play a little sound laughing sound effect when you pop them, but you can find them at the game's remaining residential areas. If you want to go check them out, just look for sewer grates in Paradise Palms, Salty Springs and Pleasant Park.
Fortnite has become a little like what Disney wanted Disney Infinity to be: a platform so broad that it can essentially support any sort of cross-promotion: we've already seen ads for movies, TV shows, shoes and DJs, and it's likely to just keep on coming. Which feels like a smart move on Epic's part: the game can become a part of any kind of cultural zeitgeist, even in a future where it's not necessarily driving that particular bus.