Yorkshire TV Egyptologist is consultant on new Fortnite game
and live on Freeview channel 276
And this time she's real!
South Yorkshire's own BAFTA award-winning TV Egyptologist Prof Joann Fletcher has been working on a ground-breaking new educational release for global gaming giant Fortnite.
The brand developed by Epic Games has 60 million monthly players.
Barnsley born ancient Egypt expert Joann, now living in Scarborough and a professor at University Of York, was brought in as consultant to work with innovative game studio Preloaded for the brand new game called Wonders: Pyramids of Giza.
Their goal was to bring educational value to Fortnite, one of the world’s largest gaming platforms, creating a purposeful experience that demonstrates its power to be used beyond entertainment.
They weave in story and learning moments across the island, allowing players to dive into the architecture, beliefs and cultures of this amazing period.
Players get to discover ancient Egypt - home to the famous Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.
Set circa 4600 years ago in the 4th Dynasty, this island recreates the Giza Plateau, featuring the Great Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre, and the Great Sphinx.
Gamers get to explore this ancient time, uncovering secrets about the lives, beliefs, and cultures of its people. The island has been developed with a focus on historical accuracy, however minor artistic licence has been taken to ensure playability.
Laden with jumping puzzles, multi-point challenges, discoverable cinematic moments and multiplayer moments, the island is designed to ensure that all Fortnite players will be able to enjoy the experience – at home, in classrooms and across devices.
Working closely with world renowned Egyptologist Joann, Preloaded used latest research and understanding of ancient Egypt to ensure a perfect balance of playability and authenticity.
When they learnt that the Great Sphinx was not assembled piece by piece but was actually carved from a single mass of limestone, this presented a great opportunity to promote learning through first-hand action.
In the game, players have to collectively carve out the remainder of the Sphinx themselves, allowing them to appreciate and change their perception of this remarkable ancient monument.
Joann – chek out here new website at www.immortalegypt.co.uk – said: "The most wonderful thing about this game is the fact that it's looking at the monumental - Egypt's greatest monument, perhaps the greatest monument built by human hands.
"But it also incorporates the miniscule, the intimate details of everyday workers' lives for instance.
"It's very much rooted in the archaeological evidence, the excavations that have gone on at Giza for the last couple of centuries; the linguistic studies looking at all the hieroglyphs and distilled down to this really compelling game."
Hattie Foster, Strategy Director Preloaded, said of Fortnite: "With over 60 million monthly players globally it' one of the largest gaming communities in the world. It's also super creative.
"The Fortnite creative community builds a diverse range of maps that cater to many different tastes. We were so inspired by this creativity and wanted to use the power of Fortnite to push even further."
James Allsopp, Creative Technology Director Preloaded, explained: "Wonders takes us back to the golden age of the pyramids. Using unique features of UEFN we have been able to build a visually rich and detailed world that is a faithful recreation of this time."
Phil Stuart, Executive Creative Director at Preloaded, said: "Thanks to Epic Games for trusting us with their new toys and believing in the value of an educational island. This is only the beginning!"
The game was made using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), a new application for designing, developing, and publishing games and experiences directly into Fortnite.
They say they immediately saw the potential for transporting players back to this important moment in ancient history – empowering them to play, build and learn in a virtually brand-new world.
For more visit preloaded.com/work/wonders-pyramids-of-giza.
Joann is one of the world’s most highly respected Egyptologists with millions of views on TV and social platforms, plus many books to her name. With her mummification expert partner Stephen Buckley they former part of a team which won a BAFTA for the Channel 4 documentary Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret, which involved mummifying taxi driver Alan Billis, to replicate the ancient process, at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre.
They also made headlines as part of a team which got Nesyamun, known as The Leeds Mummy, to 'speak' after more than 3,000 years using an electronic larynx attached to a 3D print of a his voice box, scanned at Leeds General Infirmary.
She is much loved by fans for her enthusiastic storytelling and passion for the subject – not just educating audiences on ancient Egypt’s powerful sovereigns but its common, everyday people.
With her now iconic, distinctive shock red hair, dressed all in black, with a matching black umbrella to shield from the searing sun, she takes enormous pride in her Barnsley accent as she helps the world to re-discovers the past in hit TV shows including Immortal Egypt and Ancient Egypt: Life & Death In The Valley Of The Kings.
She has published a number of books and academic articles, including several on Cleopatra, and made numerous television and radio appearances. In 2003, she claimed to have identified the mummy of Queen Nefertiti.
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