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Characters in the trailer for »Lego Fortnite«: Full Banana

Photograph:

Epic Games / YouTube

Building axes, cutting down trees, building houses. What may sound like the introduction to a game of "Minecraft" to many gamers is a scene from the video trailer for "Lego Fortnite", a new game mode in "Fortnite" that manufacturer Epic Games released on Thursday.

Unlike Fortnite, whose popularity is mainly based on the Battle Royal mode, in which up to 100 players compete against each other until only one is left, the new Lego mode is more peaceful. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the virtual world of the game is kept entirely in the look of the famous plastic building blocks. The structure and mechanics of the game are reminiscent of »Minecraft«, the world's best-selling video game with 300 million copies.

Vast Worlds

On the other hand, it's about gathering resources "that you can use to build your own buildings and build villages for yourself and your friends to breathe life into the world," according to the game's website. Up to eight players should be able to shape their world together in this way. But it doesn't have to be quite so cosy. If you like, you can also compete against creepy skeletons, fierce wolves, dragons and other dangers - all built in Lego style. The game is approved by the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation (USK) for ages twelve and up.

A special feature of "Lego Fortnite" is the size of the virtual world created at the start of the game, which is 19 times larger than the "Fortnite" island, according to Epic Games. This should be of particular benefit to those who simply want to tinker away in the so-called sandbox mode without constraints, dangers and obstacles. Up to eight such worlds can be saved for later play. According to Lego, these landscapes are intended to be a "clash of creativity and mischievousness".

Things can get complicated for smartphone users

To try out the game, which is free in the basic version, you don't have to reinstall anything if you already have "Fortnite". Lego mode can be found on the "Discover" screen, which can be accessed by scrolling down in Fortnite. There, according to a manual from the manufacturer, you can now find the entry "LEGO Fortnite" in the »Von Epic« series.

According to Eric, Fortnite is available on the following platforms:

  • Playstation 5 and Playstation 4

  • Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One

  • Nintendo Switch

  • PC

  • Android

The company fails to point out that the Android version is not available through Google's Play Store, but only through third-party download stores. The background to this is a legal dispute between the two companies. Epic accuses Google of forcing app providers to process purchases in the Play Store via Google's payment system and collect a commission in the process.

In a similar case against Apple, the company lost but appealed. Apple then refused to allow the company to re-enter the App Store until the legal dispute is finally resolved. Because Epic had previously modified the "Fortnite" app in such a way that it bypassed the payment systems of the two companies, it had been locked out by both companies.

Mak