NFL uniforms are coming to 'Fortnite'
National Football League uniforms could soon be a common sight in “Fortnite” battle maps, thanks to a partnership between the league and the video game’s publisher, Epic Games.
Starting on Friday, “Fortnite” players will be able to purchase and customize as many as eight NFL team outfits, according to a press release. Gamers can add any jersey number they want to the uniforms, which will be available for male and female character builds.
"We see the popularity of ‘Fortnite’ every day at the NFL as many of our players are passionate about this game," said Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer. "This partnership represents a great opportunity for millions of NFL fans who are Fortnite players to express their fandom inside the game while at the same time exposing our brand to countless others."
Aside from the NFL team outfits, “Fortnite” will add various other football-themed items, including special character “emotes” and harvesting tools. Players can buy the outfits and items with Fortnite’s in-game currency.
The NFL-themed gear goes on sale on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
"We have so many football fans at Epic and we know a lot of the game's fans share that same enthusiasm," said Mark Rein, co-founder of Epic Games. "Allowing our players to represent their favorite teams in the game was too cool of an opportunity for us to pass up, and we couldn't be happier with how they turned out!"
“Fortnite” is a “battle royale” video game in which players are dropped onto a map and left to scavenge materials in order to battle each and attempt to survive. The last player or team standing is declared the winner.
Some of the NFL’s biggest stars are avid “Fortnite” players, including Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Fortnite had nearly 80 million active players as of last August, according to Epic Games. The publisher raised $1.25 billion in new private financing last month.