An animated short film festival is the first in a video game, but it is one of the many film and music events that Epic Games is using to broaden its appeal.
As one of the most popular video games in the world, “Fortnite” has also become a platform. He presented virtual concerts for Travis Scott and DJ Marshmello, and premiered the trailer for “Tenet” by Christopher Nolan. Now, Fortnite is taking on another cultural axis: the film festival.
Short Nite, dedicated to animated films, starts at 2 pm ET on Saturday. The free 24-hour event will feature 12 animated short films, ranging from Oscar nominated titles such as “Oktapodi” 2007 to more recent films such as “Bench”, who is currently on the longstanding list for a BAFTA Award. Short Nite represents the first time that a video game has been used to host a film festival and, for filmmakers, offers an unprecedented marketing opportunity: your work will be broadcast on a video game that, according to Epic Games, has more 350 million registered players.
Released in 2017, “Fortnite” has become a cultural phenomenon known for limited time events and crossovers – including game modes featuring characters from “Star Wars” and Marvel Cinematic Universe for the virtual shows mentioned – as it is for the game. It is a combination that serves to broaden the appeal of the game, including the audience that normally does not play video games.
“‘Fortnite’ is, in essence, a social game and it helps to transcend the DNA of traditional games,” an Epic spokesman told IndieWire in an email interview. “As soon as we realized the social impact of ‘Fortnite’, we started designing massively participatory events and increased them over time and in different categories.”
Consumer-oriented Short Nite is not a traditional Sundance or TIFF film festival – acquisition agreements are not being signed, there are no prizes and it is unlikely to be a network center – but the event is an opportunity for filmmakers to promote their art to a wide audience, including those who would not otherwise be exposed to their films.
“It’s a totally new platform and audience for animation,” said “Bench” creator Rich Webber. “The people who would be playing the games wouldn’t necessarily go there to watch the animation, so the fact that people are going to watch your movie is giving these players something new is fantastic. It is a large audience; many people play ‘Fortnite’ from around the world. When you are doing something, you just want it to be seen and to know that it will be seen by some people is good. “
These events also serve as opportunities to make money for Epic. Although “Fortnite” is free to play, players can purchase V-bucks, the game’s virtual currency, to purchase in-game cosmetics (ie avatar or weapon skins) or unlock dances and other emotes. Epic typically offers microtransactions for a limited time during its special events and Short Nite is no exception: a “Jumbo Popcorn Emote” will be available during the event for 500 V-bucks (about $ 5). These microtransactions made “Fortnite” one of the most financially successful video games in history; Nielsen-owned SuperData reported that “Fortnite” generated more than $ 1 billion in 2020 and 2019.
Limited-time microtransactions tend to sell particularly well, especially when linked to a special event. Doug Clinton, managing partner of technology fund VC Loup Ventures, noted that events like Short Nite can serve as strong sales drivers for Epic. He predicted that future events in the game could have additional forms of monetization.
“Shortages have always been a good impulse to get people to buy things,” said Clinton. “These events are like real-world events, so digital passes make a lot of sense, just like traditional e-commerce, like digital or physical products. For a movie night, people may want to buy a director’s version of a movie or get physical merchandise, especially for things that are powerful brands like Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ ”.
The video game industry liked “live service” games – those that receive regular updates for months or years, instead of releasing new titles at regular intervals. As developers work to attract different types of consumers, virtual film festivals, shows and other non-gaming experiences are likely to become more common in “Fortnite” and other live service games. Epic sees value in connecting with viewers and has made a concerted effort to make a name for itself in the film industry. Epic’s MegaGrants program is now funding “Gilgamesh”, an animated feature film that will be created using Unreal Engine software.
Epic declined to provide data on the number of consumers who created “Fortnite” accounts to participate in the game’s previous music and movie events, but in April 2020 Epic said over 12 million players participated in Scott’s “Fortnite” show. As for the artists, Forbes reported in February 2019 that DJ Marshmello’s music had huge spikes in streaming and sales following his Fortnite virtual show.
“The gaming industry has never considered itself more than just games in which people come to do a specific thing and then leave,” said Clinton. “’Fortnite’ has shown the power of having this kind of open platform, where people come not just to play games, but to connect over many different things … Twitch, Twitter, Instagram and other traditional social media platforms have a lot of it it’s easy to get lost in the noise if you’re doing a movie event or launching a product. ‘Fortnite’ is an interactive world and is still a new, unrestricted place for companies and creators to share their products. “
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