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The Fortnite Rift Tour was one of the most highly anticipated events in recent memory. While some events have certainly been bigger, almost none carried the same level of hype as Ariana Grande's performance on the Rift Tour.
The first show of the three-day long tour kicked off at 6:00 pm EST. Here's everything that went down.
Want to know what items might feature in the shop tomorrow? Check out our predictions for tomorrow's Fortnite Item Shop
Fortnite Rift Tour recap
Kevin the Cube
At the beginning of the event, players were drawn into a rift portal and saw various items, including Drift and Kevin the Cube from Chapter 1.
They were spit out to the sound of Juice WRLD's Come and Go (which was leaked previously) with Marshmello, who had a prior concert. Kevin the Cube's reappearance confirms some earlier leaks.
Kevin will likely be seen in teases and references before his appearance, which will likely come this season. His presence in this live event all but confirms that he'll be making a re-entry to the world of Fortnite before Season 8 debuts.
New map
A new map was also teased, with players seeing images from old and new locations and items in Fortnite's history. This will likely be the Chapter 3 map, which has been heavily rumored to contain some massive changes.
Realities were shown to be splitting with ease during the event, so new and old POIs will likely be making up a new map. There have been several theories about what the next map may look like, but this is the closest indication of any evidence thus far.
Airplanes return
Later, a giant Cuddle Team Leader arose from the clouds in front of players. The screen went dark and players began shooting the Storm King from "Fortnite: Save the World" on planes.
This is the first time planes have been seen in-game since they were vaulted in early 2021, indicating that they are likely on their way back to the game.
In the end, Fortnite players were treated to an Aurora Borealis-like light show for Ariana Grande's positions. She then disappeared back into the rift from which she emerged and Fortnite players were sent back to the island, ending the live event after about ten minutes.
The show was shortlived, but did not come without huge implications for Fortnite moving forward.
Don't forget that there are still four more shows coming in the next few days. The event isn't likely to change for any of those showtimes, but for people who missed the show or simply want to relive an epic performance from Ariana Grande, here's the rest of the showtimes:
- August 7 at 2:00 p.m. EST, 3:00 a.m. GMT+9, 4:00 a.m. GMT+10, 6:00 p.m. UTC, 8:00 p.m. GMT+2
- August 8 at 12:00 a.m. EST, 9:00 a.m. GMT+9, 10:00 a.m. GMT+10, 4:00 a.m. UTC, 6:00 a.m. GMT+2
- August 8 at 10:00 a.m. EST, 11:00 p.m. GMT+9, 12:00 a.m. GMT+10, 2:00 p.m. UTC, 4:00 p.m. GMT+2
- August 8 at 6:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 a.m. GMT+9, 8:00 a.m. GMT+10, 10:00 p.m. UTC, 12:00 a.m. GMT+2
The Battle Bus is heading into Fortnite! Check out the final Fortnite item shop today!
