The Fortnite South Park trailer is (officially) here, revealing an all-new short as Butters, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny all drop in for five-player battle royale matches – a.k.a. Quints.

Epic Games published the full trailer for its South Park crossover content following a leak that wormed its way online earlier today. While the low-quality, unofficial version of the footage did show the Fortnite content in its entirety, there were a few key details saved while players wait for the event to launch this Friday, January 9.

Epic’s official trailer comes in at about two-and-a-half minutes longer than the leaked trailer, with the vast majority of that runtime filled with fresh scenes set in that iconic animated South Park style. The short sees the show’s main quartet back at their computers to play some video games while leaving Butters to sit alone in a lobby, all because he “lowkey” sucks at Fortnite.

“Actually, you just suck at Fortnite,” Cartman quips. “It’s not even lowkey.”

Butters, donning his tinfoil Professor Chaos costume, then uses the power of the Stick of Truth to transform the South Park school bus into a proper Battle Bus that whisks the group away into the world of Fortnite (and Cartmanland). It’s here the group is forced to add Butters to their squad, making for a pretty natural segway for Epic to introduce its big new feature: Quints.

As the fourth graders have proper battle royale mech suit skins built around them, Epic has used the trailer’s description to confirm that Quints is a five-player playlist for players to enjoy until the event concludes February 5. It’s an update that finally brings bigger party sizes to Fortnite after years of calls for increases, though additional details currently remain under wraps.

As for other changes the Fortnite x South Park event brings to the table, the studio has confirmed the crossover’s Born in Chaos pass will be free. This departure from previous mini passes, which typically cost players and included new skins, will now not include the new South Park outfits, instead allowing players to purchase them in the Shop.

The Fortnite South Park event comes to Chapter 7 for one month starting this Friday. While we wait to see how Towelie fits in as a Sidekick and what Easter Eggs Cartmanland has in store, you can see where Epic’s long-running battle royale landed in the list of top-played PlayStation and Xbox games in 2025. You can also check out other recent crossovers, including Kill Bill, Kim Kardashian, and Percy Jackson.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

Arc Raiders players hoping for a new game update may not have to wait much longer, as developer Embark Studios says it is “looking into” balance changes for some of its most controversial weapons.

In a public message posted to the official Arc Raiders Discord, an Embark community manager known as Birdie teased the next patch “shouldn’t take too long” to launch “now that the team is back from the holidays.”

There’s no word on when exactly the new Arc Raiders update will be published, but any amount of communication suggesting a short wait is enough to get fans excited. Fans have spent the time since the December 16 launch of update 1.7.0 (a.k.a. Cold Snap) theorizing about what the new year may hold while sharing any new concerns with Embark. Although The Goalie Raider Deck helped tide players over late last month, the lack of a firm 2026 roadmap has left some fans curious about what’s to come.

One player tapped into some of their more pressing issues and shared them with Embark yesterday. They specifically take issue with what they believe is a “lack of urgency” at the studio, calling for communication and tweaks for Stella Montis, cheaters, the skill tree, Trigger Nades, and more. Birdie replied, and while not every point was addressed, it seems Embark has plans to tackle balance changes sooner rather than later – and a Trigger Nade nerf may be on the docket.

“The holidays delayed things a bit, but the dev team want you to know that they are looking into balance, for example, the stitcher, kettle, and trigger nade,” the community manager explained. “Rest assured that we hear you and work on delivering a good gaming experience, things are just not immediate.”

The shape these nerfs will take remains unclear for now, leaving some players concerned that they’ll do more harm than good before actually evening the playing field. It’s also unclear if the next Arc Raiders update will feature some of these teased balance adjustments, but it’s least being looked into as Embark gets back into the swing of things.

Today’s Arc Raiders news is a far cry from the 2026 roadmap fans have been hoping to see. While we wait for something more concrete from the team, you can read about why some fans are expecting to eventually see an Arc Raiders movie and TV show. You can also check out why Embark doesn’t have any plans to add more traditional PvP mechanics.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).