Fortnite: Party Royale venue hosts Kenshi Yonezu, and what needs to change in Party Royale

The Fortnite Party Royale venue has become one of the most active venues for performers and events, and arguably the most active place to gather for a concert in the midst of a global pandemic. Recently, Fortnite hosted Kenshi Yonezu on the Party Royale screen, and offered players a free banner design for showing up.

---

Fortnite Party Royale events and rewards

Thanks to everyone for joining us at the Main Stage to celebrate with @hachi_08 in Party Royale!Catch a rebroadcast of the show at 1 PM ET and 7 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/cXwUjPLb6T

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 7, 2020

The Fortnite Party Royale venue has been one of the multitude of ways that Fortnite has been engaging with the ongoing wider culture of the world, integrating their game into many other communities and allowing those communities to expand into Fortnite in kind.

The added rewards for getting players to show up boost the overall reach and engagement of these events, something that is much needed as a major part of the experience is getting to join in with a massive crowd.

However, as these events become more commonplace in Fortnite there are certain limitations that are starting to become more apparent with each passing event.

---

Fortnite Party Royale limitations and what needs to be developed

Tomorrow, catch @hachi_08 in Party Royale!Show starts at 7 AM ET / 8 PM JST. See you at the Main Stage.And don’t forget to login starting at 8 PM until August 7 at 8PM ET to grab a free banner. pic.twitter.com/RY6BYZb6qQ

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 6, 2020

While the actual content of the Fortnite Party Royale events has become more varied and open, the limitations of the events space itself do not seem to have been expanded upon. The first one, with Travis Scott, turned a significant part of the map into an event space, allowed players to explore a massive location, and used the game itself as a part of the art performance.

But many more simply erect a large screen and limit players to an area where they can interact with it, something which has all the creativity of going to an old drive-in theater. And for some Fortnite Party Royale events, that is fine.

When Fortnite decided to screen multiple Christopher Nolen movies, the drive-in experience was perfect. Since movies do not require or inspire interaction from viewers, the limited options didn’t matter.

However, a big part of the concert experience, and what separates it from something like a music video, is the fact that the artists are able to interact with the crowd, and vice-versa.

As more and more musicians make their way to Fortnite, it’s becoming apparent that they lack any meaningful way to interact with the people who show up to these events.

Additionally, very few of these events seem to be much more than a single screen and limited area, with perhaps a few bounce effects added from time to time. Very few seem to use the virtual game space to its full effect.

We have seen virtual performers at live events provide an experience like no other. Why can’t live musicians do the same at a virtual event?