Update: Looks like these tilesets were indeed already used in-game, for the Survive the Storm and Fortnitemare events respectively! Seems I need to play Fortnite more often so I don't miss these limited-time events - but maybe, like me, these screenshots are new to you. And even if you have seen these maps before, take a look at those outfits at the bottom and see what unused assets you can spot.
Original story: Love Fortnite, but feel like you could use a serious change of scenery? Epic Games has said that it plans to add news maps to the massively popular battle royale game, but are currently focused on adding new areas to the current map. So what would a departure to a completely different environment look like, exactly? Judging by art shown by Peter Ellis at his GDC 2018 panel "Developing the Art of Fortnite," players might eventually be taking potshots and hastily building defenses on maps with desert and marshland themes.
Ellis' illustrative talk outlined the shift in Fortnite's aesthetic from 'gritty apocalypse' to 'cartoony chaos,' which involved major adjustments in how assets were proportioned and environments were envisioned. As the team landed on the heavily stylized look of the game that we now know and love, it started to build out the urban environments that serve as the basis for Fortnite's original players-versus-zombie-hordes mode. But the team also worked on some tilesets that have yet to be used in the live game.
These environment shots give us a look at a sprawling, arid-looking desert landscape, and a creepy mansion in the middle of a swamp (which we might've gotten a sneak peek of in the Fortnitemares Halloween event). Of course, there's no guarantee that these environment types will make it into Fortnite any time soon (or at all) - but it'd be a shame to let all these gorgeous assets go to waste. Check them out for yourself below (apologies for the phone-grade photo quality), and click the icon in the top right to view them at full size.
Also of note is a massive collection of outfits that weren't deemed worthy of being in the game - at least, not at first. You can see the astronaut suit that eventually made it in on the left, so perhaps other chic looks from this lineup will make the cut. My personal favorite in the beekeeper suit that's front and center. Let the excited Fortnite speculation commence!
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