Fortnite launches Chapter 7 Season 4, "Hacked System," on August 20, 2026. The battle pass features crossovers with iconic gaming licenses, from Sonic to Lara Croft, including parodies of Mario Kart and Minecraft.
A 32-bit trailer and a transformed island
The official trailer, produced with 64 Bits studio, adopts a retro 32-bit style to showcase a Fortnite island transformed as a tribute to iconic universes. Green Hill Zone, the legendary Sonic map, is clearly visible. The villain Geno, already central to the game’s storyline, plays a key role: his clash with the "Seven" heroes during a live event last weekend triggered a world "reset" via cheat codes, replacing Zero Point with a giant video game cartridge.
The cheat codes are key combinations or commands that allow players to cheat or alter a video game’s behavior.
Official licenses and in-house parodies
The "Hacked System" battle pass blends licensed characters and original creations inspired by well-known franchises. Confirmed licenses include: Sonic the Hedgehog (with Tails and Shadow), Crash Bandicoot, Mega Man, Ryu and Blanka (Street Fighter), Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Joker (Persona 5), Lara Croft, Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher), Kitana and Scorpion (Mortal Kombat), as well as the deer from 99 Nights in the Forest, a viral game created on Roblox by Grandma’s Favourite Games.
On the parody side, Epic Games offers original skins: Bastion (inspired by Link), K1TTYW1NS (a Mario Kart driver), Wrixel (a block-based character evoking Minecraft), or Grace Crowne (a soldier reminiscent of Lara Croft). A unique detail: the playable Sonic in Fortnite is an android with the biological data of the real Sonic, as revealed in an official crossover comic. Geno, the main villain, also collaborates with Dr. Robotnik in this storyline.
A nod to Roblox, despite tensions
The inclusion of the deer from 99 Nights in the Forest comes as a surprise. In March 2025, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, criticized Roblox, calling it "a force capable of growing and devouring the video game industry," citing its centralized model and its take of over 70% of revenue generated by its 450 million users. However, this collaboration is limited to a third-party game (Grandma’s Favourite Games) and not Roblox Corp. 99 Nights in the Forest, released on March 4, 2025, became one of the platform’s most-played titles, with 123 million players in the last quarter.
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What’s changing for players
The season will begin after the maintenance on August 20. Players will have until that date to complete their current battle pass and claim the last Sprites (cosmetic rewards). Epic Games promises to reveal new gameplay mechanics and battle pass content details soon on the official Fortnite website.
The Sprites are cosmetic items obtained via Fortnite’s battle pass, often inspired by the game’s universe or its collaborations.
With "Hacked System," Fortnite bets on nostalgia and intertextuality to reignite excitement. It remains to be seen if this strategy will offset the recent decline in playtime.
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