Fortnite Remembrance Island by Wunderman Thompson

It’s been over 100 years since the signing of the Armistice that brought a stop to fighting between Allied and German forces and an end to WWI. And with so much time past, it should come as no surprise that the reason to honour that day – as we do with a moment of silence at 11am on Remembrance Day – has become somewhat lost to history. And especially to younger generations.

In an effort to reach this younger audience on their native turf, the Royal Canadian Legion has launched Remembrance Island, a custom Fortnite island featuring recreations of WWI trenches, D-Day beaches, a Canadian military cemetery, the well-known Vimy Ridge memorial cenotaph and more. The island can be accessed in the game’s Creative Mode using the island code https://epicgames.com/fn/5053-3302-4847.

The island takes advantage of Fortnite’s incredible graphics and effects. But unlike standard Fortnite gameplay, the only objective for gamers is to discover the 30 museum-like information plaques and follow the poppies until they reach a memorial cenotaph at a central point of the map. There is no fighting, damage or weaponry on Remembrance Island.

In addition to traditional Remembrance Day ceremonies and moment of silence being held at 11am on November 11, 2019, a live stream event will also take place at 11pm in front of the Remembrance Island cenotaph. Players are being encouraged to stand in silence and salute, then share images or streams using the hashtag #SaluteThePoppy. Moving the ceremony to 11pm is another way to meet the gaming community on their terms.

The island was conceived by Toronto agency Wunderman Thompson and brought to life through a collaboration with a Fortnite Creative Builder known as JXDVN. Both parties worked on the project as a pro bono labour of love.