Bruno Mars has been confirmed as the next Fornite Festival Icon, taking over from Sabrina Carpenter.
From today (June 18), players will be able to buy skins and items inspired by Bruno Mars in the Fortnite shop and unlock them as part of the season pass, while the main stage of Fortnite Festival has also been reworked. “Perform your set surrounded by neon lights and a modern, angular aesthetic,” reads a press release.
A number of free tracks have also been added to the rhythm game, with gamers able to play along to Epic Games’ ‘Dance Therapy’, ‘Into The Underworld’, ‘Move’ and ‘Let It Burn’. Players can also pay to unlock Bruno Mars’ collab with Lady Gaga (‘Die With A Smile’) and ‘APT.’ featuring BLACKPINK’s Rose.
‘Leave The Door Open’ by Silk Sonic (Mars’ collaborative project with Anderson .Paak) can also be unlocked as part of the season pass.
This GRAMMY-winning megastar is expanding his record-breaking world tour with a stop in Fortnite: @BrunoMars is our Festival Season 9 Icon!https://t.co/bXrsrEVdA9 pic.twitter.com/kERkTxIaem
— Fortnite Festival (@FNFestival) June 17, 2025
However fans aren’t happy about the newest Icon. “Dedicating a whole pass for someone who already has songs in the game, a skin and other cosmetics is so disappointing man, especially after they teased deadmau5. Now they’ll either just release him as a normal shop skin or just scrap him until autumn. Just disappointing,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“Surely we could’ve gotten something not pop this time. Epic Games is showering pop fans, someone check on them they could be drowning,” added another.
“I cannot begin to explain the disappointment I feel after seeing teasers in game and getting excited for something different to finally come, only to see that someone that already is in the game is gonna be in Festival. Definite skip,” wrote a third.
hate this, we were promised deadmau5… fucking so mad rn https://t.co/E0NOb8nUWA
— 👻BeetleBooo🌙Vtuber👻 (@BeetleBooo) June 18, 2025
The latest update also brings a number of gameplay improvements to Fortnite Festival. Following community feedback, all-time leaderboards for individual songs have been returned to the game, while the process for selecting a ‘Jam Track’ has been streamlined. An updated ‘Random Track’ option has also been introduced to the game.
Bruno Mars recently wrapped up a Las Vegas residency but will return to the city’s Dolby Live at Park MGM for another run of shows in August.
In other news, Microsoft has confirmed it’s working on a new Xbox – check out everything we know about the next-generation console here.
