Qatar Airways is launching QVerse Island in Fortnite, letting millions explore Doha landmarks, experience its Qsuite cabin, and complete interactive missions guided by its AI avatar Sama. As the first airline on Fortnite, the move targets Gen-Z through immersive digital tourism, with a launch “golden ticket” hunt offering real flight rewards. (Image: Qatar Airways)
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Qatar Airways09 December 2025
Qatar Airways is preparing to enter one of the planet’s largest gaming ecosystems with the debut of QVerse Islandinside Fortnite. The custom-built world will allow players to roam through digital recreations of Doha’s most recognizable attractions, sample the airline’s award-winning cabin offerings, and take part in interactive quests. Guiding visitors is Sama, Qatar Airways’ AI-powered digital cabin crew member, who has already amassed a substantial following on Instagram and has become central to the airline’s digital brand identity.
The move signals a bold extension of Qatar Airways’ “digital-first” strategy, which focuses on connecting with prospective travelers long before they begin planning a trip. By tapping into Fortnite—created by Epic Games and recognized as one of the most influential online platforms of the past decade—the airline positions itself directly in front of a global, youth-skewing community that spends billions of collective hours inside virtual environments each year.
Fortnite: A Global Arena for Immersive Brand Experiences
Launched in 2017, Fortnite has evolved far beyond a battle-royale title into a vast digital universe where players explore user-generated islands, attend virtual concerts, and participate in in-game events. By 2025, the platform had surpassed 650 million registered accounts worldwide, with an estimated 1.3–1.5 million daily active players and average weekly playtimes of 6–10 hours—making it one of the most heavily trafficked virtual stages for storytelling and branded entertainment.
Global companies increasingly use Fortnite to reach Gen-Z audiences who prefer interactive, participatory marketing. Major brands such as Nike (Airphoria), Havaianas, LEGO, Ferrari, and even food labels like Hellmann’s have all launched branded islands or events inside the game. With its entry, Qatar Airways becomes the first airline to join Fortnite, extending the platform’s commercial landscape beyond fashion, retail, and entertainment into the world of aviation and tourism.
The strategy positions Qatar Airways not just as an airline, but as a digital tourism ambassador, offering many players their first-ever “visit” to Doha via an immersive 3D environment.
Building QVerse Island With Unreal Editor for Fortnite
Qatar Airways’ developers used UEFN to recreate Doha’s skyline, cultural landmarks, and even the interiors of its aircraft with impressive realism. The open-creation environment also allowed the airline to embed mission-based gameplay designed around exploration and education, blending entertainment with destination marketing.
What Players Will Discover on QVerse Island
The player journey begins at a virtual rendition of Hamad International Airport, consistently ranked among the world’s top airports. Sama—adapted into Fortnite’s stylized aesthetic—serves as the in-game guide.
Key experiences include:
✦ Qsuite Showcase
Players can explore Qatar Airways’ renowned business-class Qsuite—famous for its privacy doors and quad-seating configuration, often cited among the best business-class products globally.
✦ The ORCHARD at Hamad International Airport
The airport’s luxury retail and dining zone, built around a spectacular indoor garden, is recreated for players to explore.
✦ National Museum of Qatar
Inspired by architect Jean Nouvel’s “desert rose” design, the museum is a centerpiece of the island’s cultural journey.
✦ West Bay Skyline
Doha’s futuristic skyscrapers appear as a luminous backdrop, enhanced by Fortnite’s dynamic lighting systems.
Across the island, Qatar Airways integrated interactive challenges, puzzles, and guided missions that combine sightseeing with gameplay—an approach increasingly used in destination marketing within virtual worlds.
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Image: Qatar Airways
A Real-World Reward: Qatar Airways’ Golden Ticket Treasure Hunt
To mark the launch, Qatar Airways will host a global golden ticket hunt, encouraging players to scour QVerse Island in search of exclusive items. Winners will receive real Qatar Airways flights, creating a direct bridge between virtual participation and real-world travel.
Epic Games’ major live events often draw spikes in player engagement, and Qatar Airways aims to harness this effect—leveraging Fortnite’s global scale to promote tourism and brand awareness in an unprecedented way for an airline.
Part of a Broader Gaming and Connectivity Strategy
QVerse Island is one piece of Qatar Airways’ expanding digital innovation portfolio. In May, the airline held the world’s first in-flight gaming tournament, converting a Doha–London flight into a competitive e-sports venue. Influencers and players faced off mid-air using the aircraft’s Starlink-powered WiFi, which offers fiber-like speeds and ultra-low latency thanks to SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit satellite network.
This capability enables:
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Real-time multiplayer gaming
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HD streaming and live broadcasting
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High-speed work and video conferencing
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Cloud gaming and e-sports events at 35,000 feet
Qatar Airways has already equipped nearly 120 wide-body aircraft with Starlink and plans to expand coverage across its fleet, positioning inflight connectivity as an entertainment and productivity platform.
The airline even demonstrated the power of its onboard WiFi through the Sky Studio Challenge, where AI filmmakers produced full video ads during a 15-hour flight using Google Gemini’s video and image generation tools.
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Image: Qatar Airways
GLO Take: Why Qatar Airways’ Fortnite Expansion Could Signal a 2026 Trend
Qatar Airways is assembling a cohesive digital ecosystem—QVerse, Sama, immersive gaming, inflight connectivity—designed to resonate with the next generation of travelers. Gen-Z increasingly discovers destinations, brands, and experiences through virtual worlds rather than traditional travel advertising.
By inviting gamers to virtually explore Doha’s culture, architecture, and air-travel experience, Qatar Airways is effectively planting seeds of real-world travel interest inside a massive online community.
Sama—present across the airline’s website, QVerse Island, and social media—acts as the connective thread, establishing a recognizable digital personality that bridges the virtual and physical brand experience.
While other airlines have experimented with VR or gamified loyalty apps, Qatar Airways is the first to embed itself inside Fortnite at scale, potentially setting a blueprint for aviation marketing in 2026 and beyond.
Source: GLO
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