Metallica has been announced as the “icon” for Epic Games’ Fortnite Festival Season 4.
The Metallica Season in Festival kicks off on June 13, Epic Games said on Wednesday (June 12).
Fans of both Fortnite and Metallica can expect new playable Jam Tracks with “lots of Metallica songs,” hinted Epic Games. They can also dive into the Season 4 Festival Pass for exclusive rewards, potentially featuring outfits and cosmetics inspired by Metallica band members – James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo.
Epic Games is also teasing a new PvP Battle Stage.
Players can expect a Metallica music experience on June 22 and June 23, with six half-hour shows scheduled across the two days. Additionally, Metallica-themed gameplay extends outside of Fortnite Festival to Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket League and Racing.
Details on the concert format and setlist are under wraps, but fans can expect a fiery stage, as hinted by Fortnite in a recent post on X.
This isn’t the first time Fortnite is bringing music icons in in-game experiences. Previous Festival seasons have seen collaborations with artists like The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish. Metallica’s inclusion will likely bring a heavier sound and potentially attract a new wave of players to the game.
Fortnite, a battle royale phenomenon, has become more than just a game. It has also become a platform for the music industry. In April, Karta, a metaverse studio that offers in-game experiential marketing, said its Fortnite game called Beat Builder has achieved a milestone of 100,000 players. Karta launched its Fortnite studio in August 2023.
Separately, Sony Music in January unveiled what it described as “next generation immersive music experiences” for Fortnite to help artists “expand their engagement with fans on gaming platforms and in other entertainment environments using game engine creation and virtual production technologies.”
Other artists that have appeared on Fortnite include Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak via a partnership between Fortnite and Atlantic Records; British alt pop band easy life; DJ star Marshmello; and K-pop superstars BTS, which premiered a video of their single Dynamite inside Fortnite at Party Royale’s Main Stage in 2020.
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