Fortnitemares (HHN 35)

[Brian G.]

I don’t understand anything in the last three posts…

Just hit the griddy and it will be fine.

 

[Legacy]

Just hit the griddy and it will be fine.

 

[Tobias]

I just don't get the angst over this when there's been two Ghostbusters and four Stranger Things. It's fine. We're getting Sinners.

It's just been the same tired song and dance since at least 2019, when folks were complaining that the event was becoming "kid-friendly" due to properties like Stranger Things, Ghostbusters and even KKfOS. (Even though the year had properties such as Us and House of 1000 Corpses).

If someone personally didn't like an IP that was coming, it was deemed "kid-friendly", or "Not Horror", or griping that it was "attracting Teens." Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, The Weekend, FNaF, Wyatt Sicks, Chainsaw Man, and I don't doubt folks would've also done it to Billie Eilish if Covid didn't happen.

Thing is, these properties turned out fine. The event didn't get destroyed by their existence and the fears of the gripers turned out baseless. I'm not saying you have to like every property that comes to the event, but there's nothing wrong with just saying "Yanno, it's not for me." and moving on. Going the whole griping route with excuses that get proved wrong time and time again is why this is such a tired song and dance.

As others have pointed out, the general warning the event has always had is it's not recommended for children under 13. So the recommended starting age for the event is 13 and up. You know, Teens who are in Middle School. And that's why griping about something is for Teens/Middle Schoolers doesn't work. They're literally part of the audience for the event.

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To zero surprise, I'm down for this! I'm intrigued to see what they do for the lighting effects in the trees and what kind of setup they'll have for the Animal Actors courtyard, and there could be a lot of fun costumes in this zone.

 

[Map Monster]

Words can not express how much I hate the idea of this existing at HHN due to the audience it’ll bring in. Buttttt there is no way this zone is not going to cause problems for guests or actor's alike due to kids behavior and what I’m hoping is it’ll teach Universal a hard lesson in what properties to include in the future.

 

[Wigglepebbles]

Universal Creatives Socials:
“we worked really hard on this offering, we’re really proud on what we achieved ”

The humble fan:
“I hope everyone who greenlit this dies, my trip is ruined and I hate children in theme parks for some reason”

 

[Brian G.]

 

[MAC]

There’s a popular saying that I’m sure isn’t allowed here about kids so I will paraphrase.

Forget them Kids.

 

[Lucky Planet]

Fortnitemares is a Battle Royale event though, it doesn’t effect, reload and blitz etc.

So given they’re going with Fortnitemares and not Fortnite you’d have to assume it’s Battle Royale aligned, not to mention the battle bus.

Appreciate this is a fan site, but this details it more https://fortnite.fandom.com/wiki/Fortnitemares

those characters designs are pretty amazing.

I swear if you took those character designs and showed them to hhn fans WITHOUT mentioning videogames or the fortnite name,
people WOULD Fully say they are amazing.
I guarantee 100% that if you told people this was an original zone, everyone would be cheering. these are the best I see
hay man
chaos agent
scourge
plague
hollow head
sanctum
skull ranger
dante
wrath
people would be begging for merchandise if you told them it was an original zone.

 

[Markus]

I've played Fortnight a couple of times, and it wasn't for me in the slightest, so I've no real interest in this zone and like some others, I'm disappointed that HHN has taken this direction.

With it going to bring a larger contingent of a younger demographic to HHN, I'm just hoping that this decision doesn't create too many more problems for TM's. I can't see how it won't though unfortunately.

 

[MartyMcFly]

It's just been the same tired song and dance since at least 2019, when folks were complaining that the event was becoming "kid-friendly" due to properties like Stranger Things, Ghostbusters and even KKfOS. (Even though the year had properties such as Us and House of 1000 Corpses).

If someone personally didn't like an IP that was coming, it was deemed "kid-friendly", or "Not Horror", or griping that it was "attracting Teens." Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, The Weekend, FNaF, Wyatt Sicks, Chainsaw Man, and I don't doubt folks would've also done it to Billie Eilish if Covid didn't happen.

Thing is, these properties turned out fine. The event didn't get destroyed by their existence and the fears of the gripers turned out baseless. I'm not saying you have to like every property that comes to the event, but there's nothing wrong with just saying "Yanno, it's not for me." and moving on. Going the whole griping route with excuses that get proved wrong time and time again is why this is such a tired song and dance.

As others have pointed out, the general warning the event has always had is it's not recommended for children under 13. So the recommended starting age for the event is 13 and up. You know, Teens who are in Middle School. And that's why griping about something is for Teens/Middle Schoolers doesn't work. They're literally part of the audience for the event.

---------

To zero surprise, I'm down for this! I'm intrigued to see what they do for the lighting effects in the trees and what kind of setup they'll have for the Animal Actors courtyard, and there could be a lot of fun costumes in this zone.

I don’t buy the “well they’ve already done Stranger Things and Ghostbusters” argument.
Those aren’t remotely the same thing.

Stranger Things and Ghostbusters are actual worlds with their own identity that happen to fit HHN. Fortnite isn’t a horror IP... it’s a commercial platform where every franchise on Earth gets thrown together. That’s literally the appeal of Fortnite.

Yes, it’ll bring kids. Yes, it’ll make money. Yes, it’ll probably sell a mountain of merch. I completely understand why Universal would do it.

But let’s stop pretending it’s the same creative decision as bringing in Ghostbusters or Stranger Things. It isn’t.

Fortnite represents a shift in philosophy. Instead of adapting iconic horror worlds into HHN, you’re adapting a giant crossover brand whose whole identity is “look who we’ve licensed this week.”

That’s what worries me. Not because I hate Fortnite, but because it feels like the event is starting to chase whatever has the biggest audience rather than what best fits the event.

Some of the mental gymnastics people are doing to justify it are wild. It’s okay to admit something is probably a smart business move while also thinking it dilutes what made HHN feel unique in the first place.

Cant believe the lengths Mike Aiello is going to justify this as well. How the mighty have fallen.

Edit: The game's gone lads.

 

[Imperius]

HHN chasing whatever has the biggest audience has been a thing forever. If that’s your issue with this then you’re lying to yourself.

 

[MartyMcFly]

HHN chasing whatever has the biggest audience has been a thing forever. If that’s your issue with this then you’re lying to yourself.

That’s not my point though.

HHN has always chased the biggest names in horror. Horror is niche by default. If the goal was simply the biggest audience, they’d ditch horror altogether and do a “Happy Fun Scary Night” with Marvel and Harry Potter.

Fortnite isn’t being chosen because it’s a great horror IP. It’s being chosen because it’s Fortnite.

That’s the difference. I get why Universal is doing it... it’ll make money. But let’s not pretend it’s creatively in the same lane as Halloween, Stranger Things or even Ghostbusters. Sometimes a cash grab is just a cash grab.

 

[Tbad556]

Anyone remember when they did a Marvel house AND scarezone? Good times for the whole family.

This thread is already an IU Classic lmao

 

[Legacy]

Horror Nights has never been strictly about horror. It’s first 11 years, the major audience focus was actually the parade (which was literally Mardi Gras with beads and coins). Bill and Ted is an all-families IP that got a cartoon in the 90s. So did Beetlejuice. They’ve had a Penn and Teller house! The whole thing has always been, “Is it marginally spoopy and fun? We’re game.” Fortnitemares has the perfect spoopy aesthetic. It’s fun. They’re game. Nothing has actually changed.

And I don’t agree with the argument that because Fortnite focuses on IP crossovers is disqualifying. Wasn’t the whole conservatory aspect of last year, and all the houses being Segio’s creation a whole IP crossover thing? Art roaming through various zones last year? The rumored ClownTown, Art vs Killer Klowns them? Silver Screams? Die-In? Where else can you go experience haunts and zones for multiple, various IPs for a Halloween event at the same scale as HHN? You can’t. Everything Universal does is basically based on the same market principles as Fortnite. But, Universal has done it for decades longer.

If you don’t like the IP? Fair. If you’re concerned about crowds/crowd behavior? Fair. If you’re arguing Fortnitemares doesn’t belong or drastically changes the way HHN approaches things? You’re demonstrating a misunderstanding of what HHN is and always has been. HHN is a massive Halloween party.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Anyone remember when they did a Marvel house AND scarezone? Good times for the whole family.

This thread is already an IU Classic lmao

The Marvel house worked because they turned superheroes into horror. That’s the whole point. They weren’t celebrating Marvel’s normal identity.

If Fortnite ends up doing the same and completely abandons the goofy crossover aesthetic, fair enough. But that’s not really what people expect when they hear “Fortnite at HHN,” is it?

It’s just sad seeing Aiello go from chasing holy grail, iconic horror properties to chasing Fortnite. I completely understand why Universal would do it financially, but creatively it feels like a massive step down. It doesn’t feel like they’re asking, “What’s the best fit for HHN?” It feels like they’re asking, “What’s the biggest brand we can get through the gate?”

Edit: reply to legacy

My concern isn’t that HHN isn’t “pure horror.” It’s that it seems to be drifting from curating iconic Halloween experiences towards curating whatever has the biggest cultural footprint. Those aren’t the same thing.

I don’t think HHN has to be “strictly horror.” It has to have taste.

Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters and Bill & Ted all had distinct identities outside of simply being the biggest brand of the moment. Fortnite’s identity is being the place where every big brand turns up. That’s the difference for me.

 

[Imperius]

So like legacy said, you’re mad that Fortnite is basically HHN. Since HHN is where every big brand shows up.

 

[MartyMcFly]

So like legacy said, you’re mad that Fortnite is basically HHN. Since HHN is where every big brand shows up.

Clever reply Sir...

No. I’m saying HHN uses iconic IPs to build a Halloween event. Fortnite’s entire identity is being the place where every franchise turns up. That’s a fundamental difference, and pretending they’re the same because both contain lots of brands is a pretty lazy comparison.

That’s like saying a film museum and TikTok are the same because they both contain clips from movies.

 

[Tbad556]

I think we’re simply choosing to ignore history if you think everything up until now was chasing “iconic holy grail horror”. We had a Cirque du Freak scarezone.

If Fortnite has no distinct identity, isn’t this essentially a big budget original zone? I mean, hell, they literally made original characters for the zone.

We literally have no clue what the zone will look like and you’re out here trashing Aiello’s name like he killed your first born child. How can you on one hand say “the Marvel house worked because they turned superheroes into horror” while having no patience to see what this is?

 

[MartyMcFly]

I think we’re simply choosing to ignore history if you think everything up until now was chasing “iconic holy grail horror”. We had a Cirque du Freak scarezone.

If Fortnite has no distinct identity, isn’t this essentially a big budget original zone? I mean, hell, they literally made original characters for the zone.

We literally have no clue what the zone will look like and you’re out here trashing Aiello’s name like he killed your first born child. How can you on one hand say “the Marvel house worked because they turned superheroes into horror” while having no patience to see what this is?

I think we’re arguing different points. I’m not saying HHN has always been pure horror. I’m saying it feels like it’s shifting from curating great Halloween experiences to chasing the biggest cultural footprint. Maybe Fortnite ends up being fantastic... I genuinely hope it does. But on paper, it feels like a step in that direction.

Also I wasn’t trashing Aiello “like he killed my first born”, that’s a pretty exaggerated reading of what I said.

 

[Legacy]

The Marvel house worked because they turned superheroes into horror. That’s the whole point. They weren’t celebrating Marvel’s normal identity.

If Fortnite ends up doing the same and completely abandons the goofy crossover aesthetic, fair enough. But that’s not really what people expect when they hear “Fortnite at HHN,” is it?

It’s just sad seeing Aiello go from chasing holy grail, iconic horror properties to chasing Fortnite. I completely understand why Universal would do it financially, but creatively it feels like a massive step down. It doesn’t feel like they’re asking, “What’s the best fit for HHN?” It feels like they’re asking, “What’s the biggest brand we can get through the gate?”

Edit: reply to legacy

My concern isn’t that HHN isn’t “pure horror.” It’s that it seems to be drifting from curating iconic Halloween experiences towards curating whatever has the biggest cultural footprint. Those aren’t the same thing.

I don’t think HHN has to be “strictly horror.” It has to have taste.

Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters and Bill & Ted all had distinct identities outside of simply being the biggest brand of the moment. Fortnite’s identity is being the place where every big brand turns up. That’s the difference for me.

Fortnitemares turns Fortnite into Halloween. It doesn’t celebrate Fortnite’s normal visual identity. (See?)

Fortnite does have its own original identity. It’s *profitable* because of IPs, but it didn’t have an IP attachment when it first launched in Sept 2017. It became a breakaway smash without licensed agreements (it already had 45 million players before its first collab in March 2018). All of Fortnite’s original characters (20 or so) are wholly their own. Peely, for as ridiculously stupid as he is, is a part of Fortnite’s distinct identity. They don’t have any licensed IPs on the keyart because it doesn’t need them. It has its own identity beneath the licensing agreements. Fortnitemares twists that distinct identity into something that celebrates Halloween. That celebration of Halloween is what Fortnitemares is bringing to the event.