Last year’s hugely popular The Simpsons collaboration with Fortnite was played by more than 80million people.

Last summer Fortnite hosted a huge The Simpsons crossover that featured a dedicated Springfield map, Homer, Marge, Flanders, Blinky Fishstick, and Springfielder Peely skins as well as special The Simpsons shorts that included a brutal Fortnite-inspired couch gag.  During the event, The Simpsons legend Hank Azari (who voices Chief Wiggum, Lenny Leonard and Comic Book Guy) went viral after sharing a video of him “reacting” to Moe The Bartender’s inclusion in the hit game. 

The crossover was praised at the time and now Epic Games has revealed just how popular it was. According to the game developers, more than 80million unique players logged on to access The Simpsons X Fortnite event, racking up more than 780million hours of playtime in just a few weeks.

“It’s a reminder that great IP doesn’t stay in one lane. Few franchises can claim that kind of multigenerational pull: for some creators and players, Homer and Bart are childhood icons; for others, they’re touchstones being discovered for the first time through a Fortnite island or a Disney+ recommendation,” Disney wrote in a press release.

Epic Games has already confirmed that The Simpsons are set to return to the hit battle royale game via Fortnite Reload. 

Yesterday (June 17) they also announced that players will be able to make their own “fully authentic” The Simpsons minigames later this year as part of Fortnite’s IP Partner Program. Creators will have access to “a rich library of iconic characters, locations, and assets.”

“I can’t wait to see what the Fortnite superfans and The Simpsons superfans come up with!” said showrunner Matt Selman in a press release. 

Earlier this year, Star Wars joined the IP Partner Program and launched a number of Fortnite game modes, including a survival horror involving Darth Vader. “Within the first 72 hours of that launch, nearly 8 million players jumped into custom Star Wars islands built by the community. Galactic Siege racked up 6.53 million total plays in its first six days, Escape Vader drew 3.37 million plays over the same period, and that week Droid Tycoon became the second most-played experience in Fortnite,” explained Epic Games. 

In other news, Halo composer Marty O’Donnell has responded to the long-running rumours that Tom Cruise almost voiced Master Chief in Halo 2.

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