GAME ON
Fortnite players brace for new 16-player battleground with ever-changing weapons – and it launches in hours
Watch the trailer for The Glitch above
A NEW multiplayer battleground is coming to Fortnite in a matter of hours with new weapons, storms and objectives on constant rotation.
It's called The Glitch, and it's a 16-player game in which users aim to fix a virtual world that appears to be 'glitching out'.
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There are four teams of four players in each match.
Each game is governed by a randomly generated glitch event that takes players to different 'moons' - or maps.
To win, your team must complete the Final Objective before everyone else.
But arguably the most important aspect of the new game is that it has not been built, sponsored, or endorsed by Epic Games, Fortnite's original creator.
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It has been developed by Twitch, within Fortnite's Creative mode, which lets you build and publish your own Fortnite worlds.
Instead of being built by rookies, it has been crafted by Look North World, a developer founded by Alexander Seropian, who also established the Halo gamehouse Bungie.
The game appears to be an attempt at making digital ads more interactive and digestible for a Gen Z and millennial audience.
Promoted by Twitch streamers, The Glitch will feature advertisers such as Domino’s and Peloton with in-game integrations.
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For example, there will be a virtual pizzeria that helps players regain health and power, as well as branded mini-games for each company.
“It’s really about keeping the game fresh and rewarding, so that adaptable players are able to think quick and engage really quickly, and also want to come back,” Andrea Garabedian, the global director of Amazon Ads’ brand partnerships studio, said in a statement.
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Domino’s senior vice president and chief brand officer Kate Trumbull noted that the game is a "high visibility" opportunity for the brand.
Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, announced The Glitch at an Amazon presentation in May.
The Glitch is going to be the next step in Twitch being able to provide aligned brands with meaningful access to a very highly coveted and enthusiastic audience.
Andrea Garabedian, the global director of Amazon Ads’ brand partnerships studio
“As the brand partnership studio, our job is to make sure that we come up with big opportunities for brands to authentically align with the Gen Z and millennial audiences,” added Garabedian.
“The Glitch is going to be the next step in Twitch being able to provide aligned brands with meaningful access to a very highly coveted and enthusiastic audience.
“The Glitch is really a new evolution for the world of branded games through this franchise.
"Brands have the opportunity to be a true part of that experience.”
What is Fortnite, anyway?
FORTNITE is an online video game played by up to 250 million people across the world.
In it, 100 players compete on their own or with a small group of pals to grab weapons, gather resources and build defences, before fighting it out to be the last man (or team) standing.
Matches take about 20 minutes, and you can drop into a new game within seconds of your previous one finishing.
It's bright, it's cartoony and it's fiendishly compelling.
Skill is rewarded but luck also plays a huge role, meaning no two games are ever the same and everyone feels like they have a chance of winning.
Fortnite has also made its developer billions.
In Europe it's rated 12+, meaning it's suitable for those aged 12 and up.
The battle royale mode is free to play, but there is also a story-driven single player and co-op mode called Save The World that players have to pay for.
Pop culture crossover events are very common because of the game's huge audience.
These involve players being able to buy themed outfits for the movie, TV show or brand, as well as getting some themed activities in-game to do too.
These might be new places to explore, new challenges to complete to win themed accessories, or new game modes that are loosely related to the theme of whatever is being crossed over with.
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