As Fortnite remains one of the most popular games in the world, Epic Games continues securing crossovers with properties across the entertainment industry. 2021 has seen Fortnite crossover with the likes of Marvel, DC, Street Fighter, Rick and Morty, and Alien, giving players new skins and in-world events to enjoy. The latest crossover sees Fortnite bringing in more characters from the stars, this time giving players the chance to play as Paul Atreides and Chani from 2021's Dune.
Warner Bros. and director Denis Villeneuve's 2021 sci-fi epic is the latest adapatation of author Frank Herbert's 1965 book of the same name. Like the book, the film follows Paul Atreides, heir of House Atreides, traveling to Arrakis after his family is given stewardship of the dangerous desert planet which produces "spice" key to extending human life and interstellar travel. However, it turns out to be a trap arranged by the ruling body of the galaxy alongside House Atreides' archenemies, House Harkonnen, to wipe out House Atreides.
Epic Games announced the latest crossover on Fortnite's official Twitter with a video featuring stars of Dune, Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. The film's Paul Atreides and Chani, respectively, will be available as the newest skins for players to purchase from the Fortnite item shop. Other items inspired by the film available in the Fortnite shop include the ornithopter glider, the twinblades pickaxe, and maker hooks pickaxe.
A crossover between Fortnite and Dune is not surprising as Epic Games has been able to score crossovers with some of the biggest film releases since 2017. One of the more notable crossovers came in 2018 when Thanos invaded Fortnite armed with the Infinity Gautlet to coincide with the release of Avengers: Infinity War. The Mad Titan returned to the game in June 2021 when players were finally able to purchase him as a skin in the Fortnite item shop.
What Avengers: Infinity War was to Fortnite in 2018, players could argue Dune is its 2021 equivalent. Paul Atreides and Chani have been at the forefront of Warner Bros.' marketing for the film, so it makes sense they would be the first characters available in the item shop. That said, the film provides Epic Games with plenty to pull from for fresh content if the crossover proves popular enough.
Characters like Jason Mamoa's Duncan Idaho or Dave Bautista's Glossu Rabban would not look out of place dropping into the island's charotic battlefield. Arrakis' dangerous, spice-producing sandworms could also find their way to the island, serving as another world event for players to sink their teeth into.
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