Fortnite’s no stranger to crossovers with brands and shows, featuring hundreds of licensed characters in its roster, yet Nintendo characters are yet to be seen. Evidence suggests that Epic Games is still looking to acquire them. Read on to learn more.
Epic Games is Still Looking to Add Nintendo Characters to Fortnite
Fortnite is one of the best crossover games of all time, boasting plenty of collaborations with other game companies, IPs, and even real-life celebrities. Though these crossovers often manifest as events and/or in-game skins, the widespread reach of Fortnite’s collaborations is undeniable.
Despite this, Epic Games has been unsuccessful in its attempts to get certain Nintendo characters on their battle-royale shooter, and not for the lack of trying.
Negotiations with Nintendo are Going Nowhere
Epic Games’ Head of Ecosystem in Fortnite Sax Persson recently revealed in an interview with Axios that their negotiations with Nintendo were going nowhere. He said that certain Nintendo characters - Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda, and Samus - were considered by Epic Games to be a part of Fortnite’s ever-growing roster. Unfortunately, Nintendo would not relent.
"I don't know what the word for, like, making diamonds is," Persson said. "Nintendo has their strategy and we have our strategy, and we hope at some point. Our players would love it."
Why Nintendo is Adamant About Their Not Collaborating with Epic
There’s a lot of overlap between the fandoms of the two gaming juggernauts, so speculation and theory-crafting regarding the two company’s inability to collaborate was inevitable.
One such theory posits that Nintendo is reluctant to collaborate with Epic Games (specifically for Fortnite) because it is a multi-platform game and Nintendo’s historically been loyal to its consoles. Kratos, a staple from Sony’s PlayStation lineup, was also added to the game, allowing him to make appearances on Xbox consoles despite his usual brand. The theory alleges that Nintendo would rather avoid that.
Kit Ellis, a former Public Relations Manager from Nintendo, offered a more straightforward answer, saying that "They (Nintendo) don't need Fortnite. They're bigger than Fortnite. The stuff that they do is bigger than Fortnite".
"They've spent decades building up these characters, building up this IP to the point where it is now where The Mario Movie can be a billion dollars and Nintendo Switch is the best-selling console," Ellis continued. ".They can just be one of [another] dozen characters that all play the same, put into a game that's all about shooting people and [it] is so against their brand? It makes no sense... This isn't gonna happen. "
What The Future Holds for Fortnite
While this sounds like a bleak ending for Fortnite fans who want to see Nintendo characters on Tilted, Epic Games mentioned no cessation of their negotiations. Difficult as it is, it seems that they will continue trying to get our favorite Italian plumber in the Battle Bus.
With that in mind, this is by no means an indication of Fortnite’s decline, as is evidenced by their countless successful collaborations, including the likes of Master Chief from Halo, Chun-li from Street Fighter, Indiana Jones, John Wick, Spider-Man, Rick from Rick and Morty, and more recently, Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
They've also had great collaborations with real-life celebrities and artists in the past, with their Fortnite x Marshmello and Fortnite x Eminem events raking in millions of players each. Most recently, Epic Games also unveiled their most recent collaboration with LEGO during The Game Awards 2023, so Fortnite is alive and well. It’s just a few goombas lighter than it could have been.
