Split screen is coming to LEGO Fortnite, and that’s undoubtedly a boon to its quality and longevity. However, this asset to local multiplayer, a throwback to the simpler times of LEGO gaming, is still a tad short of what LEGO Fortnite could be doing.
During Sony’s State of Play on September 24, it was announced that split screen co-op is coming to LEGO Fortnite. According to the announcement, split screen integration will arrive in October—though an exact date has yet to be revealed. This is following a split screen rollout that’s been ongoing throughout Fortnite‘s modes since 2019, and it’s quite fitting for the open-world adventure offered by LEGO Fortnite. On the other hand, though, Epic will need to be wary of split screen-related bugs, which have been cropping up in other modes, all the more.
LEGO Fortnite Getting Split Screen Is Nice, But It’s Unlikely To Turn Any Tide
There’s something interesting, and perhaps a little sad, about split screen being relegated to a post-launch novelty. Split screen is still alive today, of course, with some revitalized support from indie hits like Cult of the Lamb as well as from Nintendo. Despite this, it’s more of a nice surprise when a game gets split screen as opposed to an expectation, and the loss is noticeable. The culture of games, as well as their monetization, has been forever altered by the slow death of split screen, and its late addition into LEGO Fortnite is very much emblematic of that.
LEGO Games Once Had Split Screen At Their Heart
Local co-op was the bread and butter of Traveler’s Tales’ LEGO games. Almost all of their LEGO titles take on a similar formula, which includes a level structure based around co-op. The games can always be completed in singleplayer, but there’s always a character available for player 2—even if TT had to engineer those circumstances. This is evident in games like LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga; sections like the Emperor’s throne room from Return of the Jedi saw slight additions to allow for a second player, with that example turning the level into a boss battle against Emperor Palpatine—one with Luke and Darth Vader as playable characters.
Thanks to this dedication to couch co-op, LEGO games have long been bonding experiences for friends and family. For many teens and young adults, their earliest gaming memories were joining up with a sibling in The Complete Saga, or playing as Robin in LEGO Batman while a parent showed them the ropes of gaming as player 1. When going round a friend’s house and playing on a different console, LEGO games were there all the same to provide a common ground. When LEGO games expanded to include big open worlds, split screen was the key to keeping that local experience.
Local Multiplayer Is Dying Out More Than Ever
Despite Traveler’s Tales no longer heading up LEGO gaming, local multiplayer has stuck around in games like LEGO 2K Drive and the upcoming LEGO Horizon Adventures. However, its late inclusion in LEGO Fortnite could be a canary in the coal mine.
LEGO games will always be aimed at families, and they have a sizable presence on the Switch, so they’re unlikely to lose local multiplayer soon. On the other hand, the post-launch release of the feature in LEGO Fortnite signals how resigned the industry is to include it; it’s simply more profitable to encourage the creation of more online subscription-paying accounts than to provide split screen.
Though the industry seems content to leave local multiplayer and split screen behind, LEGO Fortnite does at least spark a little hope by making the effort. It’s worth preserving the well-worn choice of local play, granting the next generation of gamers those same experiences—of building castles during sleepovers, of fighting a boss with a sibling by their side, or of first learning a controller’s layout on the docks of Gotham City.
