Fortnite x Stranger Things POI that never was

Fortnite x Stranger Things has always been one of those feel-good collaborations. After the series became a global phenomenon in 2016, the hype surrounding it exploded. From merchandise to fan art, everyone wanted something related to the show. Seeing the excitement, it was obvious for Epic Games to jump onto the hype train, which they did in a spectacular manner.

But it would seem that a lot more was planned but never came to fruition.

To understand things, let us take a trip down memory lane. Fortnite Chapter 1 Season 9 coincided with the release of the series' third season. This is when the Fortnite x Stranger Things collaboration took place. Portals from the Upside Down appeared in Mega Mall, alongside the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlor.

Suffice it to say, it was a fan's dream come true. Chief Hopper and Demogorgon were added as Outfits in the Fortnite Item Shop. In Chapter 4 Season OG, Eleven was added to the Metaverse as well. That said, it would seem that fans were robbed of something massive which is related to Stranger Things - Hawkins National Laboratory.

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Fortnite x Stranger Things collaboration could have featured Hawkins National Laboratory

Pat Jones, Senior Environment Artist/Level Design artist, posted something incredible on Artstation three weeks ago. It was an image of Hawkins National Laboratory, but not a version of the building from the show. No, this version was created for the Fortnite x Stranger Things collaboration.

It was first spotted by NotPaloleaks and blortzen and was then shared on the social media platform "X" by ShiinaBR. In the image shared by Pat, you can see a scale replica of the Hawkins National Laboratory. The creation uses Chapter 1 assets, similar to what can be seen in Fortnite Reload. Suffice it to say, this was a huge missed opportunity for Epic Games.

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Why did the Fortnite x Stranger Things collaboration not feature Hawkins National Laboratory?

It's difficult to comprehend why this was not added to the game, given that there have been other massive Landmarks/Named Locations featured over the years. In fact, going back to Chapter 3, Daily Bugle was added to the game and was massive in terms of size. It featured multiple floors and interiors, much like the version of Hawkins National Laboratory that can be seen in the image.

The only conclusion that can be drawn, is perhaps the version of Unreal Engine which was used to run the game at that time simply wasn't powerful enough. Adding this massive structure to the game could have caused it to crash. Maybe the roadmap for the collaboration changed mid-way and the developers decided not to add Hawkins National Laboratory. There could be numerous such reasons.

On that note, it is safe to say that until a building/structure is found in the game files (like the recently discovered Fortnite Secret Bunker), they may not be added in-game. Nevertheless, it is sad to see what could have been a Fortnite x Stranger Things POI in Chapter 1. Hopefully, the next collaboration will feature more than just cosmetics.

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