Fortnite’s mysterious black hole has finally disappeared, revealing the game’s ambitious Chapter 2. There’s a tonne of changes to gameplay—from water-based mechanics, a whole new island to explore and kill over, and generally improved combat to name but a few of the tweaks—but one addition has a decidedly Australian flavour.
The game has always included in-game sprays allowing players to leave their mark on the world, but Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1 marks the first time the game's sprays have been designed outside of developer Epic Games' design team. In Chapter 2, six of the sprays have been designed by Melbourne-based street artist George Rose.
“It’s a surreal experience seeing my design in Fortnite,” said Rose in a recent release. “It’s an honour to be the first Australian artist to work with Fortnite and it’s great to see Epic Games supporting my art. It’s super cool for me to be able to share my art with a whole new audience.”
Her sprays are distinctly Australian in flavour, with more than a few nods to local surfing culture and some of the cuter elements of Antipodean wildlife and local flora. Rose’s murals adorn walls and buildings all over Melbourne, and she painted a two-by-two meter version of one of her sprays during an event at Melbourne’s SEA LIFE Aquarium as part of Melbourne International Games Week.
“We wanted the spray to be Australian-inspired and knew we needed an Australian artist for an authentic design,” said Epic Game’s PR & Comms Manager Nick Chester
“Sprays are one of the many tools for Fortnite players to express themselves in-game. We’re excited to see the reaction in Australia and across the globe.”
The sprays are in the game now, and ready to unlock. You can find more of George Rose's excellent work on Instagram.
If you're curious to see what else has changed then check out the Fortnite patch notes for more information.
