Epic Games has announced the next set of musical performances coming to Fortnite, called the Soundwave Series. The new series will feature artists from around the world, and players will be able to experience music from each artist in an interactive experience in-game.
Epic is well known for bringing musical performances to Fortnite, including spectacular shows for huge artists like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande and concerts hosted on the non-violent party royale island. But Epic is increasingly working with its community to create signature experiences for the game in Fortnite’s Creative mode, such as with this summer’s Easy Life virtual concert and the Balenciaga-themed “Strange Times” hub. The first show in the Soundwave Series, featuring Egyptian artist Mohamed Hamaki, will continue that trend, as will the future shows in the Soundwave Series, Epic tells The Verge.
Hamaki’s show kicks off on October 1st at 2PM ET and will be available until October 3rd at 2PM ET. Interestingly, there will be multiple ways to see the event: you can attend by jumping into a dedicated playlist or watch it during a typical battle royale match via a picture-in-picture mode, which has been used in the past to show competitive Fortnite in game. (This picture-in-picture feature will only be available for certain times during the 48-hour Hamaki event.)
The new series seemingly marks Epic’s next initiative to make Fortnite something more than just a game. The concerts not only offer something else for players to do, but the picture-in-picture feature could keep players locked into Fortnite’s universe for music instead of turning to something like Spotify.
In the coming months, the Soundwave Series will also feature Australian singer-songwriter Tones And I, Brazilian rapper Emicida, Japanese pop artist and music producer Gen Hoshino, and French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, Epic says.
