Hype for The Game Awards 2020 continues to build steam with guest presenter announcements and teasers for big reveals. Special Fortnite announcements have become a hallmark of the annual award show, and 2020 seems to be continuing the tradition.
The Game Awards are aiming to be the video game industry's answer to the Emmys and Oscars, and for the past two years Fortnite has dropped major announcements that shaped the future of the game. In 2018, Fortnite introduced The Block point of interest, while 2019 followed up with the announcement of Fortnite's Star Wars crossover. Epic Games' battle royale shooter has also earned major accolades at the awards, walking away with the award for "Best Ongoing Game" two years straight.
Geoff Keighley, producer and host of The Game Awards, posted an image of a non-descript brown leather backpack with a tag reading "This Bag Issued to Agent Jones." While the teaser is likely lost on those who are unfamiliar with Fortnite's multiverse, Agent John "Jonesy" Jones is a recurring character in the narrative who has previously been spotted in cutscenes relating to major in-game events. The teaser comes hot on the heels of Fortnite's Season 5, called Zero Point, with a surprise skin, and new map locations.
Jones is akin to the Nick Fury of the Fortnite universe, recruiting characters from other realms for Fortnite's crossover events. The bag in Keighley's teaser tweet has appeared on Jones' back in cutscenes, though its current contents are unknown.
The announcement will likely relate to other big news that has been teased, including the rumor that Fortnite characters may appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Epic Games' creative director, Donald Mustard, hinted that Fortnite may be making the jump to Nintendo's popular crossover fighting game. This is likely not the only Fortnite announcement that could take place at The Game Awards however, as prior years' announcements have revealed big changes that affect the game as a whole.
Tweets detailing a recent Zoom call between Keighley and Mustard add some credence to this rumor, where Mustard allegedly said a new event would be changing the future of Fortnite. When asked whether Fortnite characters would be coming to Smash, Mustard declined to comment.
Despite the lack of the usual live audience, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for The Game Awards, with high profile titles like Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 and surprise hits like Supergiant Games' Hades dueling for top honors. The awards' line-up of announcers includes Troy Baker, Stephen A. Smith, Phil Specter, and Reggie Fils-Aime.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Series X/S.