PS5 and Xbox Series X release date may have just leaked — thanks to Fortnite

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A Fortnite Batman bundle hints at console release dates

PS5
(Image credit: Sony)

Fortnite may not be on iOS and Android for much longer, but at least it’ll be on PS5 and Xbox Series X this fall. While we still don’t know exactly when the two new consoles will come out, a recent post teasing some new Fortnite content theoretically gives us a deadline. 

Fortnite: The Last Laugh Bundle will let players step into the pinstriped suit and unnaturally big smile of Batman’s archnemesis, the Joker, on November 17, and the developers hint that the content will be available at retail stores before the PS5 and Xbox Series X launches.

Information comes from an Epic Games blog post by The Fortnite Team. The thrust of the post, overall, has little to do with the PS5 or the Xbox Series X. Instead, it’s about Fortnite’s partnership with DC Comics, and how Batman, Catwoman and Harley Quinn skins have returned to the game. The Joker will also be making his first appearance in a bundle called The Last Laugh, which will be available on November 17.

“The retail version [of The Last Laugh] is available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One,” the post explains. “It will also arrive in time for the release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X next-generation consoles.”

Putting the two pieces of information together in the simplest way possible: The Last Laugh is coming out on November 17. The developers explained that the game would be out in time for the next-gen console launches. Therefore, the systems will come out either on or after November 17. Since consoles generally launch on Fridays, and we already know that the Xbox Series X will be out in November, this suggests a date of either November 20 or November 27 for the Xbox. The PS5 is a little harder to nail down, since Sony hasn’t specified a release month.

Of course, there are other ways to interpret the short blog post — which, again, is not primarily about either console. The post doesn’t actually specify whether The Last Laugh’s November 17 is physical, digital, or both. If it’s a digital-first release, the physical copies could be in stores much later. Furthermore, “in time” doesn’t necessarily mean “the second the consoles come out.” If PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers have to wait a week or two for a physical copy of The Last Laugh, that’s still firmly within the release window for both the Fortnite DLC and the consoles themselves.

In any case, if you’re interested primarily in The Last Laugh bundle, it will come with “The Joker Outfit, Laugh Riot Back Bling, Bad Joke Pickaxe, The Joker’s Revenge Pickaxe and the Pick a Card Emote,” as well as 1,000 V-Bucks. There’s no price listed yet, however.

Marshall Honorof
Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof was a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing background, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.