WPP clients are about to get a direct line into Fortnite as the battle for agencies’ virtual offerings heats up.

Fortnite developer Epic Games announced a partnership with WPP to help bring the holding company's clients into the metaverse. WPP employees will go through a new training program on how to build custom brand experiences in Fortnite and how to use Unreal Engine, Epic’s 3D creation tool. The “metaverse curriculum” will be tailored into three tracks for executives, creative practitioners, and media strategists.

Metaverse glossary for brands

“The collaboration between Epic, WPP, its clients and the creator community will accelerate the building of diverse social entertainment experiences that players across the world will love,” Matthew Henick, VP of metaverse development at Epic Games, said in a statement announcing the partnership.

Even though the partnership is billed as helping clients get into the metaverse, Fortnite falls more in the gaming space, similar to Roblox. Brands are eager to know more about in-game advertising, and popular gaming destinations have become first steps into broader metaverse strategies. Fortnite is a good place to start—the game had 350 million registered users last year, and more than 80 million monthly active users in 2020, according to Business of Apps. 

Major brands and athletes have appeared in the game as player skins, including Balenciaga, the NFL, and Naomi Osaka. Coca-Cola made an island in Fortnite called “Pixel Point” in honor of the beverage company’s new “pixel-flavored” drink.

This won’t be WPP’s first foray into metaverse campaign development. Last month, WPP worked with SuperAwesome, another Epic Games company, to create a Fortnite island for Adidas for its Ozweego sneaker. In February, WPP announced the creation of The Metaverse Foundry, its specialist creative content production company focused on the metaverse.

“Epic’s technology is world-class, and we are delighted to partner with it to raise the bar for social experiences in virtual worlds on behalf of our clients,” Nilufar Fowler, executive VP of strategic partnerships at WPP, said in a statement.

How agency revenue growth soared—Ad Age Agency Report