After rumors and leaks, Fortnite’s new Simpsons-themed mini-season went live over the weekend, and I had a giant smile on my face as I ran around the new Springfield map, no matter how many times I got sniped by random Gokus and Peelys.
Over the years, I’ve made it very clear that I’m not a fan of the growing trend of crossovers in video games. Sticking Master Chief in Rainbow Six Siege or jamming Godzilla into Call of Duty has always been weird and nasty to me. It feels like all of pop culture is merging into a giant grey blob. It makes me sad. Yet, I always give Fortnite a pass because, for many years now, it has been an IP playground. Fortnite is just a giant mess of stuff, a new internet for the next generation. So what if they add Luke Skywalker or Ariana Grande to it? But even if I wasn’t willing to give Fortnite a pass, I’d still be playing this new Simpsons season because it’s so dang good.
Launched on November 1, the Fortnite x Simpsons mini-season turns the entire battle royale into a Simpsons video game, something we haven’t gotten in over a decade. In fact, it’s been nearly 20 years since the last console-based Simpsons game and over two decades since 2005’s beloved Simpsons Hit and Run. That alone makes this new Fortnite season super special. The first time I landed at Evergreen Terrace in Fortnite and explored the Simpsons’ house, I had the biggest grin on my face and was excited to just poke at each room and detail. I was quickly killed by someone actually playing the game, but I didn’t care. I was finally playing a new, modern 3D Simpsons game in 2025, even if it was just a Fortnite event.
Exploring beyond the Simpsons’ home, I found so many locations and details from the show. Want to visit Moe’s Bar? It’s here, and you can even hear a prank call from Bart. The first time I visited the Nuclear Power Plant, I heard a crow squawk, a detail that is always included when the location appears in an episode. The Aztec Theatre is here. Mr. Burns’ massive mansion is fully explorable. Kamp Krusty is falling apart, but still explorable and properly dilapidated. Even the tire fire and tomacco farm can be found in Fortnite’s new Springfield map. I even found a store selling Poochie merch. If you’re a big fan of the show like me, you’ll likely die a lot this season because you’ll be too distracted by Easter eggs, references, and details to notice the enemy players hunting you down.
Of course, beyond the map are skins based on characters from the show. At the moment, the battle pass has added Marge and Homer, and Bart is for sale in the store. Bart is wearing a strange mech exo-suit thing, which I get is the only way to make that character work within Fortnite’s proportions, but it does look odd. Based on leaks and trailers, we know that Krusty, Moe, Ned, Scratchy, and a Simpsons spin on Peely are coming, too. Personally, I hope a few more characters are coming as well, but my wallet is begging for the opposite.
We are even getting a series of animated Simpsons shorts that connect to this new Fortnite season, with many of the original voice actors involved. And the main series on Fox included a grisly bit involving Peely in the show’s latest episode. It’s full-on media synergy, baby!
But yeah, a few days into this new Fortnite x Simpsons season, I’m hugely impressed with what Epic has pulled off. The new island is not only fun to play on and filled with tons of details, but it also looks gorgeous. Everything has this show-accurate cel-shaded look, from random pieces of flooring to iconic buildings and more. I really hope Epic lets people tinker with this map within Fortnite’s content creation tools in the future because it feels like a waste to throw it all away at the end of this month when the mini-season wraps up.
Until then, I’ll be dropping in on Springfield, saying thanks to Otto (the season’s bus driver) and finding more Easter eggs and silly details from my favorite comedy series of all time. And hey, maybe this season’s popularity will remind Disney that people want Simpsons-themed video games? One can hope.
