It’s d’oh time in Fortnite. Announced today in an official Epic Games blog post, long-running animated series The Simpsons is crossing over with one of the world’s most popular online multiplayer platforms with a slew of new character skins, cosmetics, and an all-new 80-player map called Springfield Island in Battle Royale.
The update launches today for the free-to-play online shooter, arriving as part of the paid Battle Pass which nets players access to premium outfits that includes three characters from the show — Homer, Marge, and Flanders — alongside Simpsons-themed versions of Fortnite avatars Fishstick and Peely. While these premium items are purchasable as part of the pass, the new multiplayer map will remain available for free throughout the event, alongside the base Battle Royale island.
Springfield Island is an 80-player island with its own custom environments for Battle Royale.
Epic Games
The update also launches alongside a new feature for Fortnite called Sidekicks, which lets users purchase little pets that follow them in real time in gameplay. The first one isn’t specifically based on The Simpsons, but the cute banana-colored dog Peels fits right in, nonetheless.
Like previous skins based on cartoons, the Simpsons avatars will be cel-shaded to adhere to their designs from the series, as will the whole world of Springfield, which is playable throughout the month of November. Each week, additional updates and new content will be rolled out, all of which will be previewed in custom-made animated shorts, co-produced by Gracie Films, the production team behind The Simpsons.
The first short, titled “Apocalypse D’Oh,” debuts today on socials, with three more arriving each subsequent Monday through the duration of the month (Nov. 10, 17, and 24). Each of the shorts will be available to watch online in The Simpsons Collection on Disney+, where all 37 seasons of the show are now streaming.
The team behind The Simpsons have helped recreate the show’s aesthetic with extreme detail.
Epic Games
As with most new skins and cosmetics made available in Fortnite in recent years, Simpsons-themed content can be carried over to other experiences in the ecosystem, specifically Lego Fortnite, where characters take on mini-fig versions of the avatars. Outside of Fortnite, Epic Games will also be partnering with The Simpsons on a limited-time event with new cosmetics in Rocket League.
Fortnite is free-to-play on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. “The Simpsons Battle Pass” costs 1,000 V-Bucks ($8.99 USD) to access.
