Fortnite has been well-known for bringing some outlandish characters that you otherwise wouldn’t expect. Anything from a Borderlands psycho to Ellen Ripley from Alien to even Ariana Grande herself, Epic Games doesn’t shy away from any opportunity to throw an infamous figure or pop culture reference into their battle royale. And while what the team has in mind next might not be a skin, it’s surely nothing any of us could’ve predicted. To help give awareness to the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. will be getting his own memorial in Fortnite. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that either.
The description for the above video describes the March Through Time event as follows:
March Through Time teleports players to D.C. 63, a reimagined Washington, DC. Built by ChaseJackman, GQuanoe, XWDFr, and YU7A, travel to the Lincoln Memorial and United States National Mall, where Dr. King gave his iconic 17 minute speech for Civil Rights. The experience extends with museum-inspired points of interest, and collaborative mini-game quests you complete with others. These activities progress players through the experience and bring to life important themes of Dr. Kingโs speech: we move forward when we work together.”
While this is a shocking partnership, it’s admittedly a good move for Epic to make. Fortnite holds such a massive platform, especially in the realm of kids, giving them the breathing room to leave a strong message regarding how we as a society can be better in the future. Working together to stand against major issues such as racism is the only way we can defeat it, so kids getting that message is a major stepping stone for us. While it may not be as exciting to them as an actual new skin they can purchase, this memorial is more than anyone could’ve asked for.
The Martin Luther King March Through Time event in Fortnite will continue indefinitely, with Epic providing no end date to the event. Be sure to hop in-game and learn a little something yourself, and support local movements surrounding these sorts of themes. We can all do our part.
