UPDATE: The event begins with an extended version of the teaser cutscene, this time showing a giant Doctor Doom wreaking havoc on the island and its inhabitants. Once the cutscene ends, players must team up to defeat the gigantic Doctor Doom. Judging by his health bar, the Doom is Coming event could last quite a while, with the Marvel villain appearing in every game until he is defeated. More to follow.

ORIGINAL: Fortnite developer Epic Games has announced plans to hold an in-game event this weekend. The upcoming Fortnite event will see Marvel villain Doctor Doom wreak havoc on the Battle Royale island. According to a countdown timer that appeared following the release of Update 31.30 earlier this week, the Fortnite event “Doom is Coming” has a release date of October 5th and a start time of 7:00 p.m. BST UK (that's 2:00 p.m ET for fans living in the US). We're not entirely sure what will happen during the event, but based on the teaser trailer further down the page, Doctor Doom will likely make an explosive reappearance in the game. Undoubtedly, the players will have to band together to thwart his plans. According to the latest teaser, players will actually have to visit Stark's mobile armories to defeat Doctor Doom. “Stark's mobile armories activate when the timer approaches zero! We’re going to need your help with this,” an Epic teaser says.

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Of course, if you would like to watch the event live and in person, you should register approximately 30 minutes before the festivities begin.

To ensure you don't get locked out due to crowded servers, it's worth logging in around 6:30pm (BST).

An hour before the event begins, the lobbies are already feeling the strain.

“We are aware that the lobby is loading slowly for some players and that leaderboards are taking longer to load than usual,” Epic said in a tweet. “We are working on a solution and will update when we know more.”

Epic Games has not announced any plans for a repeat of the event, but Daily Express will keep this article updated with new information and official announcements.

News of the event was announced by Epic Games on X, along with a preview of what to expect.

“No Doombot. Not a henchman. Doom is approaching.”

This weekend's in-game event comes ahead of this year's Fortnitemares celebrations.

Based on recent leaks, it looks like Fortnitemares will be adding a spooky Marshmello skin, as well as a Leatherface skin from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the doll from the SAW film series.

Insiders like Shiina have also discovered new skins like Dark Ruby, Knightmare, Shadow Monks and Zain.

The new update also added the Shaq skins and items to the game. Confirming previous rumors, former NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal and his alter ego DJ Diesel have been given a release date of October 4th in the US and an October 5th release date in the UK.

The Shaq skin, emotes and items will be available when Epic Games updates the store around 1am BST (UK time) on October 5th.