Lava Ran Through NYC
at the Fortnite Level Up Event
Relive the best moments from Ninja and iKON’s Fortnite Galaxy gaming session.
Right on the heels of the Galaxy S10 release and the debut of the sick iKONIK outfit and Scenario emote, Samsung held a Fortnite gaming session in New York City where we debuted the never-before-played island (inside Fortnite Creative). Hundreds of gamers dropped into the event for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to test their Fortnite mobile gameplay with the most-followed Twitch streamer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, and K-pop sensation iKON. Here are some of our favourite moments from the exclusive gaming event.
Fans camped out overnight at Samsung 837 to see Ninja, iKON and a sneak peek at the Creative island, set in doomsday NYC.
Reveal of the top-secret Creative island
Samsung debuted its own Fortnite Creative island, designed by up-and-coming map designer BluDrive just for the event. Now available to the public, the post-apocalyptic island is riddled with thrilling features. BluDrive included famous New York City landmarks like Central Park and dialed up the chaos with lava rivers, collapsed bridges and eerily abandoned subway stations. The island even includes the Samsung 837 building, a feature that BluDrive is especially proud of designing.
Our own Samsung 837 is featured in the new Fortnite Creative island
The new post-apocalyptic Fortnite Creative island has gripping features like lava rivers and dangling semi-trucks
Players found easter eggs in the game like the 23rd Street subway stop, one of the closest train stations to the actual tournament
First: Players played in Battle Royale format in qualifiers round
Second: Galaxy S10+ smartphones get set up for the finals round
Second: Galaxy S10+ smartphones get set up for the finals round
After the qualifying round in the standard Battle Royale format, 12 finalists were placed into groups of four. Players battled it out in mobile gameplay in an attack vs.defend format for the final round. Teams played on a Galaxy S10+ for a total of three rounds, and each group played one round defending two devices with Ninja and then two rounds attacking the devices with a member of iKON.
“Ninja’s one of the best gamers in the world, but I feel like I have an advantage because I play specifically on mobile, four hours a day.”
– Aidan Fay, 13, a winner in the qualifying round
One of the youngest players in the final round, 13-year-old Aidan Fay, had to face-off against Ninja alongside his team, but he wasn’t intimidated by playing against a superstar. “Ninja’s one of the best gamers in the world, but I feel like I have an advantage because I play specifically on mobile, four hours a day.”
Fortnite Tournament winners from left to right: Samuel Hatch, Cyril Porter, Bradley Sykes, Ninja, Jhonn Lopez
iKON joined Ninja on stage for the panel to discuss the future of gaming along with latest iKONIK outfit and emote
The awesome combination of gaming and K-Pop
The excitement and screams from the crowd were deafening as iKON took the stage for the panel discussion — so loud that the moderator struggled to ask questions over the roar. When asked if they were impressed with the iKON-inspired outfit and new Scenario emote (based off by their chart-topping single “Love Scenario”), Chanwoo said, “I loved how they made the dance come to life and we’re so thrilled to see how it came out.” Ninja also shared his thoughts on the evolution of gaming, saying, “I love how gaming is more accessible. You don’t need a console…anyone can play Fortnite for free.”
“I loved how they made the dance come to life and we’re so thrilled to see how it came out.”
– Chanwoo, member of iKON
iKON took the stage to perform a few songs including “Love Scenario” in front of elated fans
The time iKON performed to a crowd of screaming fans
After the panel, stagehands hastily broke down the set before a very lucky crowd got a glimpse of iKON’s first time touring the states. All seven members took the stage with a swagger usually reserved for sold-out arena performances. They performed a few numbers, including their #1 hit “Love Scenario”, while captivated fans sang along to every…single…word.
Fans danced like they meant it
Throughout the event, gamers and spectators got a chance to create their own IRL emote showing off their best dance moves. Ninja and iKON’s Chanwoo watched tons of entries, from "flossing" to "freestyling", and selected their favourite. Tenzin Jhangchub, the winning dancer, got a meet-and-greet with Ninja and iKON, and also walked away with a brand-new Galaxy S10+.
Now it’s your turn to level up
Don’t let poor CPU performance cause sudden frame drops in your next battle. The Galaxy S10+ is one of Samsung’s most powerful gaming phones yet, with a lightning-fast 855 Snapdragon processor, an immersive Quad HD 2K display and an All-Day Intelligent Battery* that automatically optimizes power based on how you play.
Galaxy S10e | S10 | S10+
