Published on: 11/11/2022
TimeX, Epic, Metabrands hosting interactive event in Fortnite
TimeX, a luxury watch company, has collaborated with Epic Games to deliver a special interactive event called the Race Against TimeX in Fortnite. Timex also partners with the metaverse agency Metabrands and the digital engagement specialist SuperAwesome to design the activities for the event.
Race Against TimeX presents six mini-games that set players against time. It includes challenges such as water rising, walls shuttering, floors splitting, sequencer waves and exploring a dangerous path in the dark. Fanciful watches transport special powers to the players’ wrists, granting them power-ups such as speed boosts and other abilities.
Established in 1854, The company first ventured into the metaverse through creative collaborations, including an official pre-show countdown collaboration with Wave for a live, virtual and interactive Justin Bieber concert. At the event, TimeX gave the audience virtual watches.
“For nearly 170 years, TimeX has been a disruptor; we have a history of the unexpected,” TimeX Group executive Shari Fabiani said.
“We’re playing with the concept of time and merging analog technology with a digital world within one of the world’s most popular multiplayer online games, FORTNITE, as the Metaverse’s official timekeeper.”
Fabiani said that as TimeX had ventured into the metaverse for non-gaming events in the past, it would now concentrate on gaming, with plans for other virtual, interactive experiences and Web3 integration.
The event includes in-game giveaways and collaborations as part of a campaign to connect the virtual and physical worlds. It involves Parker Locke, Sushi Bae, Ali “SypherPK” Hassan, YouTuber Alastair “Ali-A” Aiken and Fortnite aficionado Landon Barker.
“For me, time spent playing FORTNITE is time well spent because it is one of the ways I can be with my friends without all of the superficial stuff that can get in the way of connection,” said Barker. “I am excited to partner with TimeX; I love their watches and FORTNITE so for me, this was a perfect match.”
To participate in the Race Against TimeX, select the Creative Mode in Fortnite and input the Island Code 1359-6287-8998.
Fortnite and the metaverse
Fortnite, a battle royale-style, open-world role-playing game, is widely regarded to be how a metaverse should look. In Fortnite, players engage in social interactions and build anything from buildings to islands in its Creative Mode, just like how people like Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg envision the metaverse.
“Our lofty goal is to create the entertainment experience of the future. I think some of that is feeling our way into what feels like it’s going to be a new medium, where it’s this blended entertainment experience that has interactive elements,” Epic Games CCO Donald Mustard said in a 2021 interview with The Verge.
“Other people will experiment, too, and we can learn from that. I’m just excited for the medium. Fortnite is an indicator of what could be.”
Fast forward to 2022, Fortnite has invited top artists, including rapper Travis Scott and DJ Marshmello, to perform in its “virtual world.” Not only that, recently, fashion companies such as Ralph Lauren, Balenciaga, Armani and Burberry held virtual events in the video game.
