Dev Creates In-Game Holocaust Museum In Fortnite To Spread Awareness

Epic Games, the developer behind the popular video game Fortnite, has given the green light for the creation of the first Holocaust Museum within the game. This decision was announced by game developer Luc Bernard, who tweeted, “Super proud that we will be the first to bring something like this to Fortnite’s 400 million+ players. 80% of Americans haven’t visited a Museum. So this is game changing.”

The concept of the Holocaust Museum in Fortnite comes after Bernard’s previous project, Light in the Darkness, a free game that focused on the experiences of a Jewish family persecuted by the Nazis during World War II. Bernard expressed his belief that many games tend to overlook the horrors of the Holocaust, telling Agence France-Presse earlier this year that many games portray these realities of that war as being “a bit like denying that it ever existed.” Through Light in the Darkness, he aimed to portray the grim fate faced by European Jews as the Nazis systematically eradicated them, resulting in the death of about 66% of European Jews during the Holocaust.

The addition of the museum in Fortnite is an extension of Bernard’s efforts to offer educational gaming experiences about the Holocaust. At a time when awareness of this historical event remains crucial, and technology poses the risk of obscuring its significance, the initiative becomes even more meaningful. Earlier this year, Bernard expressed concern about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence to undermine the historical truth of the Holocaust to iNews, emphasizing that AI-generated content could distort existing visual evidence and challenge the authenticity of the events.

“I give it five years, even less,” Bernard said. “The survivors are going to die and then everything is going to get out of control… I honestly think AI photos are the most dangerous thing for Holocaust awareness, because before, we could prove [what happened] with photos.”

Fortnite’s new Holocaust Museum features a diverse range of exhibits that shed light on various aspects of this dark period in history. Visitors can explore sections dedicated to specific events, such as Kristallnacht, a chilling reminder of the violent anti-Jewish pogroms that took place in Germany in 1938. Additionally, the museum delves into the lesser-known but equally significant experiences of Jews in Tunisia and Greece during the Holocaust, illuminating the hardships and resilience of these communities. Among the notable exhibits is a tribute to Abdol Hossein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat who saved numerous Jewish lives by issuing passports to Jews in occupied France.