'Fortnite' Crosses Over With 'Star Wars' Through Purchasable X-Wing Glider

Proving once again to be a key promotional venue for major cultural icons, “Fortnite” is bringing yet another touch of a galaxy from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away to the title.

Epic Games has announced that you can now buy an X-Wing glider in “Fortnite.” The Verge notes that it was made available the same day that EA released a new animated short introducing the story of the upcoming “Star Wars: Squadrons” dogfighting game.

The glider itself looks like one of the T-65B X-Wing fighters that famed “Star Wars” pilots like Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, and the Red Squadron have flown with the trademark X-shape of the wings when the S-foils are in attack position. It costs 1,200 V-Bucks in “Fortnite.”

As Luke Skywalker’s vehicle of choice, as well as its significance for blowing up the first Death Star, the X-Wing Fighter has become an iconic image in motion picture history. It is part and parcel of the mythology of “Star Wars,” usually appearing even in the spinoff TV shows and animated series that the franchise has spawned.

This actually is not the first time that something related to “Star Wars” has appeared in “Fortnite.” Around the time of the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019, you could buy a number of cosmetics, including skins for Rey and Finn, and a First Order TIE Fighter glider.

The game’s last Winterfest event also saw the legendary Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca as an item that could be purchased.

EA and Epic Games have collaborated before to promote other “Star Wars” games. Last November, to promote the release of “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,” a Stormtrooper was added to “Fortnite.” If you bought that game on the Epic Games Store, the Stormtrooper was given away for free.

The current “Fortnite” season bears a Marvel theme, with characters like Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, and Wolverine making their mark all over the battle royale game. On the other hand, there was a period of time last year that an entire area of the map was in the style of “Borderlands 3” complete with cell-shaded visuals.

With seemingly no end to the popularity that “Fortnite” has enjoyed for the past couple of years, you can expect to see more similar crossovers in the game’s future.