The British are coming. Specifically, IGN can exclusively reveal that action man Jason Statham – star of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Hobbs and Shaw and The Meg – is coming to Fortnite today. He lent his chiselled jawline and voice to the game to promote his new movie Shelter as part of a new in-game experience.
The Stath appears as his character from Shelter, Michael Mason. In the movie Mason is a former assassin who is forced to dust off his guns (aren't they always?) to protect himself and a girl – Jessie – that he rescued from the sea surrounding the remote Scottish island he calls home. Players can fight alongside him on a new custom map inspired by the movie, taking on waves of enemies in order to protect Jessie. If that wasn't enough, a huge storm is on the way, which is actually pretty accurate for the Scottish highlands.
The custom map comes with some additional game features to heighten the roguelike experience the creators are going for, with a combination of permanent upgrades, random weapon loadouts and a 'Rebirth system' that will give you permanent buffs for resetting your progress. It's vital to mention that the weaponry is given out by a dog.
There'll also be a community tournament featuring top streamers that will let viewers vote on the specific conditions for the matches, like weapon restrictions or inverted controls.
The experience was created by Sawhorse and Chartis Interactive, with contributions to the design of the map from Fortnite creators like Jayth, the guy behind Fortnite's Zombie Escape Tag.
"It’s been exciting to combine the roguelike genre—one of Fortnite’s most popular modes—with a unique film like Shelter, especially with Jason Statham involved," he said.
The Shelter experience is available in Fortnite now – Island Code 2883-8391-6703 – and the movie, also starring Bill Nighy, will be in theaters on January 30.
