Fortnite Fans Think a New Item Was Swiped from Overwatch

By Marc Deschamps

Epic Games has added a new Guardian Shield item to Fortnite, and players can find it in the game starting today. The Guardian Shield can be wielded traditionally, but players can also toss it on the ground to provide a protective barrier. The item sounds like it could offer a lot of defensive strength, and many players are ready to take it for a spin. However, a lot of players couldn't help but notice that the item seems quite similar to Reinhardt's Barrier Field from Overwatch. Across social media, fans have joked about how excited they are to play as Reinhardt in Fortnite! 

One of many comparisons to Reinhardt was made by @BaneofDurin, and can be found in the Tweet embedded below.

Epic Games has never been shy about borrowing ideas and concepts from other popular games, so it's very possible that the Guardian Shield was directly inspired by Reinhardt. In 2021, Fortnite added a mode inspired by Among Us, which seemed to be a major disappointment to the latter game's developer. Those hard feelings on the part of InnerSloth seemed to result in an official crossover between the two games in 2022. It's unlikely the Guardian Shield will similarly result in a crossover between Fortnite and Overwatch, but stranger things have happened!

Regardless of where the inspiration came from, it will be interesting to see how the Guardian Shield is implemented in Fortnite. It certainly seems like it could be a powerful tool, and it could add a new strategic layer, based on when and how it's used. Of course, some players are already speculating that it will be a pain to contend with, but they won't know for sure until they check out the item in the game for themselves!

Fortnite is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.

Are you happy to see this new weapon added to Fortnite? Do you think the Guardian Shield was inspired by Overwatch? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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