Fortnite kicks off its third major anime crossover today with the introduction of My Hero Academia (MHA) content to the game. ‘Epic are tackling the My Hero series in an equally big way. Along with four in-game skins, an incredibly powerful new mythic weapon called Deku’s Smash, and in-game challenges, one of the best parts of the crossover is the new game mode, Hero Training Gym. The game mode was created in Fortnite Creative by Creative Zena studio founded by siblings that specializes in creating custom experiences inside Fortnite.
Speaking to GameSpot as we walked through his My Hero Academia PvP mode together, co-founder R-leeo Maoate explained how the team made a name for themselves in the Fortnite Creative space and what other dream projects Zen Creative team hope to work. in the future.
“In April we did the Soundwave series for Emicida, a Brazilian rapper,” he said. “We also did something in November 2021, which was Fortnite Lands Down Under,” as part of Epic’s plans to promote the game in Australia and New Zealand, which launched alongside a new twitter account at the time. These are major projects in the creative world, but Maoate said their work in creative mode started simply as a hobby where he and his brother created their own maps.
After sharing some on social media and catching the attention of Fortnite fans, a “domino effect” happened. Brands started looking to them for development opportunities, and eventually Epic came knocking on projects like the ones named above. “It’s been full throttle from there,” he added, explaining that the team known as Zen Creative, which was once just the two brothers, now has 10 people in total, half a dozen of whom have worked on the MHA card for this crossover in recent weeks.
Maoate explained the rules for the game mode, Hero Training Gym, which takes place in 8v8 PvP and combines elements of Team Deathmatch and Domination, where teams battle for control points. A familiar character class system allows players to load up as tank, assault or support types – each with their own strengths and weaknesses – but the kicker is the inclusion of Deku’s Smash, the new mythic weapon what players are already learning is as devastating, if not more so, than the Kamehameha that came to the game for the Dragon Ball crossover this summer.
In Hero Training Gym, Deku’s Smash will appear periodically on the urban map, and when he does, both teams will want to prioritize him, as he is not only extremely powerful, but also wonderfully chaotic. With the many vehicles scattered across the map, an explosion from Deku’s Smash sends them flying like a comet falling to Earth. Big rigs are immobilized in power lines, sedans are launched like four-wheeled missiles, and anyone standing in the path of the weapon blast or debris has little chance of surviving the blast. impact.
Without those physical toys available to players, I think Hero Training Gym would be a nice map with a neat PvP mode, but the addition of Deku’s Smash raises its profile to something even me, someone who isn’t an anime fan, plan to play.
Another added feature is how the mode transitions between the prefab cityscape, which disables building mechanics in favor of physical destruction, and a second map, Base Arena, which is mostly empty except for of a few concrete cubes lying around meant to act as bases for player builds. In the basic arena, it’s essential to start the 90s and defend with fast builds, which means that the mode in total becomes a fast mix of building and non-building strategies.
These nuances of the team remind me of the potential, both realized and yet to come, of Fortnite Creative. I love battle royale, but with the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) – or what fans call Creative 2.0 – on its way into the new year, I feel like talented teams like Zen Creative will finding new heights for their creative modes and maps.
I’ve often compared this next phase of Fortnite Creative to what Dreams could have been – arguably should have been – for PlayStation: a flexible creative tool that will allow players to express themselves like never before. Hero Training Gym is not integrated with Creative 2.0, and the team wasn’t ready to talk about their plans for the next upgrade, but the intricacies of Hero Training Gym suggest to me that Zen Creative will be a team to watch. once this exciting update arrives in early 2023.
Epic has been putting more emphasis on Creative lately, with daily quests generally pointing people in its direction. There are many already there, and it can be difficult to browse and find the best maps – although we’ve tried – so when Epic and indie teams like Zen can team up, especially when accepting branded gear like series world-renowned anime, it helps steer players towards some of the best maps and modes in the game. It’s not unfathomable to imagine Fortnite five years from now being more famous for its Creative suite than even its Battle Royale mode. .
For Zen Creative, it’s a great place. Having the trust of Epic and other paying collaborators allows the small team to continue to grow and establish itself as a leading studio within the ever-evolving Fortnite ecosystem. And Maoate says he has even more on his personal wishlist: “I would love to work on other anime projects in the future. project has been one of the most fun things we’ve done.”
With Epic’s confidence and Fortnite’s anime crossovers looking to be some of the most successful ever, I expect we’ll soon see Zen Creative featured heavily in other collaborations. Fans have been clamoring for things like One Piece and Attack on Titan, in particular, and while Epic hasn’t said one way or the other, it’s easy to see those IPs coming to Fortnite – n isn’t that all anyway?
You can access the Hero Training Gym as part of Fortnite’s My Hero Academia crossover using the code Creative Island 6917-7775-5190 until December 29.
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