Fortnite promises ‘unforgettable’ live event on Dec. 2

Fortnite will usher in its next phase with an event called The Big Bang on Dec. 2nd at 2 p.m. EST, developer Epic Games has announced. Posting to the official Fortnite account on X (formerly Twitter), Epic promised an “unforgettable event,” “evolving all things as you know them,” with a “memorable reveal toward the end.”

The Big Bang will close out the wildly popular month-long Fortnite OG event — which returned the game to its original map and sprinted through several seasons taken from its first chapter — and heralds the start of Chapter 5.

Epic’s official announcement follows a series of leaks that suggest the Big Bang event will star rapper Eminem, and reveal three major new game modes coming to Fortnite: a Lego tie-in, a racing game called Rocket Racing, and a musical rhythm-action game called Fortnite Festival.

Lego semi-confirmed its collaboration with Fortnite by posting a tease featuring an image of the game’s llama mascot in brick form.

Previously, reliable Fortnite leaker HYPEX suggested the event would star Eminem as well as introduce the three modes, and be the “biggest to date” with a 1.5 GB download size. HYPEX posted what they claimed was official artwork of Eminem promoting the event, as well as what appears to be an in-game Eminem skin.

Although the three game modes are set to be announced as part of the Big Bang event on Dec. 2, it seems they won’t be available straight away. Another Fortnite leaker, Shiina, says that Lego Fortnite will be released on Dec. 7, Rocket Racing will follow on Dec. 8, and Fortnite Festival will drop on Dec. 9. Shiina also said that the Big Bang event itself is “NOT just a concert, not at all. Stay excited, it’s gonna be a ride!”

According to HYPEX, Fortnite Festival will enable players to play vocals, guitar, drums, and bass along to tracks by Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, Toto, Imagine Dragons, and Alice Cooper. The Lego mode, meanwhile, will feature playable Lego minifig characters and focus on crafting and building.

After Fortnite OG caused a huge spike in the game’s popularity and recorded the game’s biggest day ever, many wondered if Epic might find a way to make its retro mode a permanent addition to the game. There’s no word of that yet, but if these leaks are to be believed, it certainly seems as though the studio is pulling out all the stops to keep players engaged.