TIME and Fortnite have teamed up to create an in-game tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and people are both baffled and furious.
The event, called “March Through Time,” will bring players to D.C. 63, a virtually reimagined Washington, DC, where they will travel to the Lincoln Memorial and United States National Mall, where Dr. King gave his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. The experience is inspired by TIME’s immersive exhibit, The March, which launched last year in Chicago.
“TIME Studios’ mission is to embrace innovative new formats to tell the world’s most impactful stories. We are thrilled to introduce our first-ever gaming experience and expand our groundbreaking The March project, which started as an immersive exhibit, into the global, educational event March Through Time in Fortnite Creative,” said president of TIME Studios Ian Orefice. “Epic Games and Fortnite’s community creators have been instrumental in bringing this powerful content to millions of players, and we are excited to enable the next generation to explore Dr. King’s historic impact in a new way.”
And while it’s definitely new, most people are pretty sure that this isn’t the way King’s words should’ve been immortalized. “Imagine fighting for your own life for equality, getting assassinated, and then now your legacy will be a bunch of kids calling you ‘That guy from Fortnite’ Disrespectful if you ask me,” one person tweeted.
That said, some are trying to be hopeful for the education potential the game brings, meeting younger generations on platforms they’re on.
And yes, the King Estate is involved in this homage to the late Civil Rights activist. Eric D. Tidwell, Esq., the Managing Director & General Counsel of the King Estate said they are “excited” to work with TIME on a new project to commemorate Dr. King.
“We continuously strive to move Dr. King from the history books and place his legacy directly into the lives of younger generations,” Tidwell said in a statement. “With the advent of emerging technology, we seek to use all resources available to continue to spread his wonderful legacy of hope, peace, love, and equality. Presenting his most famous speech in such an interactive format helps us achieve that goal.”
However, even the estate’s involvement in the project is a bit surprising for some.
For the most part though, people are just ruthlessly mocking the potential visuals of it all. For those who have never played, Fortnite is known for allowing fans to play as strange characters — from giant bananas to other iconic video game characters — and having commands players can use to make said characters dance.
You can check out more reactions to TIME and Fortnite’s team-up below.
You can see what some of the in-game experience looks like below: