Springfield returns to Fortnite on July 30 in an event Epic Games is calling The Simpsons Reload, and the publisher confirmed on Wednesday that it will carry a guest from well outside the show's usual orbit: John Wick, drawn in the style of the series.
Promotional art for the event shows Keanu Reeves' assassin descending on the town under a glider built out of guns. The crossover extends to the map itself, where a Springfield version of The Continental will appear under the name The Confidential.
That name is not an invention for the event. The Confidential featured in the 32nd season of The Simpsons, in an episode titled "The Last Barfighter," as a hotel where the town's bartenders — Moe among them — meet discreetly to trade the stories their customers tell them. Its proprietor, Artemis, is voiced by Ian McShane, who plays Continental manager Winston Scott in the John Wick films.
The character has crossed into the show before. In the season 35 episode "Iron Marge," Bart watches a John Wick film in which the killer-for-hire is attacked while sampling gelato at an ice cream shop and fights off his assailant with what is at hand. Hank Azaria voiced the part in that appearance rather than Reeves.
Returning loot and a new rifle
Alongside quality-of-life changes to the returning map, the event brings back the cartoon weapons that circulated during the first Springfield run:
- Cobalt Slingshot
- Mr. Blasty
- the Five-Gun
- the Cartoon Chainsaw
One weapon is new to the rotation: a Tactical Assault Rifle joins the loot pool for the event.
Wick will also be added as one of Fortnite's collectible Sprites, in a design that keeps the character's severe, minimal look but swaps his eyes for an oversized cartoon pair. The Simpsons Reload goes live on July 30.
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