Everybody’s favourite out-of-pocket basketball uncle, Stephen A. Smith, is aware of Fortnite higher than you may assume. At the very least, that’s what may be gleaned from a breakout clip of his YouTube program, The Stephen A. Smith Present, that’s making the rounds at this time.
Smith, who will usually ballot his Twitter followers for inquiries to reply on his present, despatched out his ordinary name when a consumer named Noah Zomback thought to ship him the one finest question ever. It’s the query we’ve all requested our closest associates and Fortnite duos since 2017. Zomback quote-tweeted Smith, hooked up an image of an out-of-date Fortnite map, and requested, “The place we touchdown Stephen A?”
It’s necessary for me to make clear precisely how outdated this map is earlier than we proceed. Fortnite’s world, which is in a perpetual state of change and development to suit ongoing occasions and new seasons, at the moment appears nothing like this. In actual fact, it hasn’t appeared like this since Fortnite’s third season when I started taking part in in 2018. This map is so outdated, I wasn’t in a position to legally drink after I final performed it. When a stop-gap season known as Fortnite OG final 12 months intentionally reverted the map to at least one from the battle royale’s inaugural chapter, even it didn’t flip the dial again that far. Season 3 (the primary Season 3, again earlier than the sport had “chapters”) culminated in a reality-breaking rocket launch—and Fortnite’s first actual stay occasion— which successfully kickstarted its totally baffling narrative and mythology. This map predates even that second, and the cultural phenomenon that Fortnite would go on to turn out to be. That’s how outdated this map is. Now we are able to proceed.
You’d presume that Smith, a hilariously no-nonsense sports activities journalist and well-known oldhead behind one of many greatest tweets ever, has no enterprise figuring out jack shit about Fortnite, particularly such an early incarnation of it. And I believed he didn’t. I used to be lifeless flawed although, as a result of Smith proceeded to recall factors of curiosity on the map like they had been his outdated stomping grounds.
At first, Smith appears to play coy whereas itemizing off the locations earlier than it clicks. He snaps his fingers and says, “I forgot the title of this, what’s the title of this?” earlier than turning to the digital camera and declaring “Fortnite!” A+ for you, Stephen A. He then continues choosing names off the map like Retail Row and such till he sucks in his tooth and appears to recall seeing one thing “the opposite day” that ideas him off to what his reply ought to be. Are you able to guess the place Smith says he’s touchdown?
“I’m gonna go together with Tilted Towers. You recognize why? It’s proper within the center right here and it appears like that’s the place all of the motion is.”
That’s proper, Stephen A. Smith is a person of fucking style who lands in Tilted Towers. Tilted Towers gained notoriety early on for being a “sizzling drop,” or a spot the place everybody would land to get into motion extra shortly. The decision-and-response of “The place we droppin’?” answered with “Tilted Towers” even turned a meme within the location’s heyday. As meteors started raining down on the map, destroying factors of curiosity and altering the panorama, Tilted Towers’ recognition assured it survived season after season in some form or type. Even after it was lastly destroyed, Epic has discovered motive to carry it again and replace it every so often, and it was current within the aforementioned OG season final 12 months.
So if it wasn’t already clear, Stephen A. Smith not solely is aware of what’s up, however needs all of the smoke. Not solely does Smith rightly name Tilted Towers a sizzling spot for motion, however he even manages a sly critique of the map! As he frivolously admonishes all of the greenery and fields across the map, he appropriately dubs Tilted a “palatial mansion in the course of nowhere” that attracts consideration to itself. Somebody get this man a profession in video games instantly. Or at the very least present him how far Fortnite has come since 2018.
