Friday, September 20 is the date set for the planned Area 51 "raid," and it looks like Fortnite could be celebrating the occasion with a brand new alien-themed skin. Dataminer s1l0x has discovered in the Area 51 skin in Fortnite's latest update, and it seems like fans of the popular battle royale game will be able to get their hands on it sooner rather than later.
The Area 51 Fortnite skin includes a green alien wearing an Area 51 jumpsuit. The skin is referred to as the "Traveler," and will apparently have a matching pickaxe. However, if Epic does decide to add the Area 51 skin to Fortnite, it's unclear exactly how players will obtain it in the game. It's possible that there will be a special event tied to the skin that players will have to complete to unlock it, but there's also a chance that it will only be available to purchase through the in-game store using V-Bucks.
With the Area 51 raid supposedly taking place on Friday, September 20, it's likely that the Area 51 skin will be added to the battle royale game sooner rather than later. In fact, fans should be able to expect the skin to go live this coming Thursday, September 19, which is also when the new challenges will go live in the game.
The Area 51 raid has taken the Internet by storm, becoming one of the year's biggest memes. However, the Area 51 memes have led to some unfortunate consequences already. Some people have legitimately started showing up in the Nevada desert and have gone on to restricted land, resulting in some legal consequences.
In fact, there was an instance recently where a Dutch YouTuber was arrested for trespassing near Area 51. Authorities in the area will likely attempt to arrest other individuals that they find trespassing, and so it will be interesting to see what happens come September 20.
If the Area 51 meme is still popular post-raid, it's possible that other live service games besides Fortnite will add references to it as well. Ultimately, we'll just have to wait and see what happens come September 20.
Fortnite is out now in early access for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.