In another sign of Fortnite and Disney cosying up under the covers, you can now unlock a free First Order Stormtrooper skin by linking your MyDisney account to the game.
This isn’t your Disney+ account, to be clear, and there’s no need to be subscribed elsewhere. And it provides another sign-in option for Fortnite, just like when the game added Lego account sign-ins as an option previously.
The likely intended benefit of this freebie is that Fortnite itself is now being flooded by players showing off their new Stormtrooper skin, setting the vibe for the game’s impending Star Wars season that’s set to take over later this week and run until early June.
The next battle pass will feature Emperor Palpatine, Poe Dameron and General Grievous, as well as Chewbacca-styled Cuddle Team Leader and a Sith/Jedi remix of Evie. There’s no sign of Darth Jar Jar here, so my guess would be you’ll need to stump up for him separately via the in-game shop.
As well as all that, Fortnite will be hosting an early watch party and premiere of the first two episodes of the next Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld season from 2nd May, before their arrival on Disney+. If you’re a fan of Asajj Ventress from The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, you should probably tune in. (And if you do, you’ll unlock a free Asajj Ventress loading screen.)
Fortnite recently confirmed it won’t block AI-generated thumbnail images, as Epic Games says detecting them will eventually become impossible.