Fortnite's Pirates of the Caribbean crossover launches next month
All bets arrr off.
Pirates of the Caribbean is coming to Fortnite next month.
Last week's update to Fortnite included characters and content set to be part of the crossover, and initially an event pass featuring Captain Jack Sparrow was made available to buy. Dataminers quickly discovered other characters set to arrive as well, solidifying rumours that emerged several months back when Fortnite's 2024 roadmap first leaked.
Now, acknowledging the event pass' early sale, developer Epic Games has confirmed the crossover's official release: 19th July.
As you may recall, several of the leaked roadmap's upcoming events – such as Billie Eilish coming to the game in April – have since turned out to be true, adding credence to reports that a Pirates of the Caribbean crossover was also on the way.
This time, notable Fortnite leaker Hypex took to social media platform X with a new image showing off Davy Jones, Hector Barbossa, and Elizabeth Swann, who look to be purchasable separately from the event pass.
There's also a new pirate-themed item, Ship in the Bottle – described as "a cursed ship trapped in a bottle. Open it to unleash the ship from its ghostly depths, diving into your opponents with a devastating crash!" – and a Jack Sparrow "Jar of Dirt" emote.
Hypex says the Pirates of the Caribbean shop will open on 18th July, 2024, whilst fellow leaker ShiinaBR reckons the crossover event itself is scheduled to kick off the following day.
Hypex was one of the first to spot that The Pirates of the Caribbean pass had been placed for sale early, before Epic stepped in to ensure it was swiftly removed. Those who did manage to buy it say they "didn't get anything but the skin" - for now.
Shortly thereafter, Epic confirmed that anyone who purchased the Cursed Sails Pass ahead of its 19th July release date would not be able to "progress the pass until the start of the event", and invited players to apply for refunds if they didn't want to wait.
Did you see Metallica's Fortnite concert over the weekend? Not only did the metal band headline the game's next Fortnite Festival season, but all four of Metallica's members are now unlockable as skins in the mode's next Festival Pass.
Meanwhile, a recent Fortnite update notably adds a new competitive way to play Festival: Battle Stage. As Tom explained for us at the time, here 16 players face off against each other via a song chosen at random, with your Overdrive operating as an attack power to take other players down a peg. Or, you can team up with a four-person party of friends and pick specific tunes to fight over.