Seed time for Fortnite’s new era, and one of the main catalysts will be the upcoming LEGO NINJAGO: Rise of the Ninja game mode. This game mode is not, however, the only great thing that Fortnite has cooked up for us. With the powerful trailer that is already out and looking ‘chaotic’ in the best way possible, there is no doubt that the new experience will not only include the whole of the LEGO world with the interactive and adventurous gaming curious little ones. The game is clearly a reworked version of Fortnite, and Epic Games is surely on the right track to change it into a creative platform instead of a battle-based one.

As always, the response from the community was mixed, with extreme hype on one hand and a demand for explanation on the other; the latter, however, consisted of random requests. Fortnite’s official tweet received thousands of replies, with some of the gamers like Rexium simply yelling “WE ARE PLAYING THIS 🔥” That’s a fresh energy. Popular streamer CouRageJD even responded “It could be the right time for another LEGO Fortnite storyline haha,” which indicates content creators will be there on day one. Nevertheless, as usual, the replies section turned into the typical Fortnite player wishlist once more. Players have been requesting Reload bot lobbies, old movement animations, and the Thor: Love and Thunder bundle, while one even mentioned Robocop. Besides, player tutuz is celebrating “Day 29 asking to bring Robocop back,” proving his commitment is genuine even if it is a little out of line in a NINJAGO announcement thread.

Meanwhile, the real issue character designs in the key art were a major point of debate among the fans—sorry, players. Almost a mini-drama was going on. User Cookii27 and morro57572241 moved back and forth over the design of Jay the blue ninja. “Why did they give my boy the time twins hood bro?” morro said to which Cookii replied, “I really hope they change it because this is not it bro.” They were analyzing the art as if it were the Zapruder film, disputing whether a character was indeed Jay or just a “generic ninja guy.” It is funny how one promo image can spark such a heated debate. In the meantime, another user Angelduster44 put forward the most serious request of all: “We need the weekend whip.” Those who are not aware might think it is merely the iconic theme song from the NINJAGO TV show. It appears there is a no weekend whip, no deal policy that some people adhere to.

This whole matter brings out the fact that the Fortnite player demographic is split but in a somewhat positive manner. On one side of the spectrum you have the LEGO mode enthusiasts who can’t wait to dive into the building-and-adventure experience, while on the other you have the battle royale elitists who only want their skins and mechanics back. Moreover, there are the NINJAGO lore experts who are scrutinizing every pixel for correctness. The company has to deal with such a wide variety of customer preferences, but then again Epic seems to be always on the spot catering to all these. Besides, making the release date December 11 is a smart albeit sneaky move—it’s precisely one year after the first introduction of the LEGO Fortnite mode. The user 7psychho even mentioned it: “YEAH YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE RELEASED 1 YEAR AGO ON DECEMBER 11TH….BALLISTIC……” Well, not everyone may remember the other thing but looking at it from the standpoint of the anniversary is a nice touch.

This raises an important question: what will be the impact on the game? It mainly secures the existence of a permanently changing and the LEGO Fortnite will always be a part of the collaboration line-up. It is not only a one-off occurrence; it is a living world that keeps on getting new story-driven chapters. The use of elemental powers and Spinjitzu as a movement ability will probably result in LEGO gameplay becoming less fast-paced due to the growing number of actions available. What about new weapons? That always creates a shift in the meta, even if you are in a craft survival mode. The trailer gives hints of players being part of a more organized island defense that is not only a great way to unite them under one PvE goal but also a novel approach, as opposed to just building random castles.

But then again, the new content could mean new requests from players. OldCorpseHunter has already started the campaign: “You know you’re gonna have to bring back Naruto stuff again for this, yeah? It would only be right. 😎” It is indeed a ninja-themed update that practically screams for a Naruto Item Shop re-run. Besides, user alisotubarao is already one step ahead: “Fortnite x Monkie Kid when”. The crossover possibilities of LEGO, and the game’s availability on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox, are endless.