Fortnite and Stranger Things event brings Upside Down portals to map

A surprise collaboration between Stranger Things and Fortnite has manifested in the form of Upside Down portals.

Netflix released the third season of its hit show on July 4. In an effort to promote it, Netflix partnered with Epic Games to add hellish, glowing portals in the game’s Mega Mall destination. In addition to the in-game changes, skins modeled after Chief Hopper and the Demogorgon have been made available in the Fortnite Item Shop for a limited time. There is also a themed gun skin called Vines Wrap.

The story of Stranger Things has largely been driven by a terrifying parallel universe called the Upside Down. The alternate reality begins seeping into the city of Hawkins, Indiana with locals encountering paranormal creatures as a result. The Upside Down is accessed through portals, which are now showing up in Fortnite.

The portals aren’t hard to spot for Fortnite players who encounter them. The large, glowing gate with a molten-looking center indicates the hellish world that lay behind it in the show and the area surrounding it is distinguished by unsaturated colors, floating particles in the air, and dimmer than normal visuals.

Unfortunately, if a player hops through a portal they are not met by scary creatures or a creepy landscape. Instead, they are sucked in and spat out on a different part of the map by another Upside Down portal which they can then hop back into to return to their previous location.

Once the player takes a few steps away from the portal, the Upside Down disappears and the regular map is restored.

This is the latest in a series of high-profile crossover events for Fortnite. Earlier this year, an Avengers: Endgame event took place allowing players to rampage around as Thanos or wield iconic weapons from Marvel Comics such as Captain America’s shield and Thor’s hammer. More recently, a John Wick 3-inspired limited time game mode was made available.

Currently the portals are not appearing anywhere outside of Mega Mall, a point of interest on the battle royale map that was added in Season 9. No end date has been announced for the skin purchases or portal appearances.