An executive director of Epic Games shared about what they tried to negotiate with Nintendo How to add some of the Japanese giant’s iconic characters Fortnite, but so far it has not been successful. Epic Games’ third-person shooter has become one of the biggest names in gaming, bolstered by continued partnerships with brands, IPs and pop culture icons since launch 2017. Six years after Fortnite’s release, new skins, game modes, and seasonal content are continuously being updated, making it one of the most attractive games for gamers.
The list of famous companies, IPs, or pop culture figures that have collaborated with Fortnite is growing by the day. Among them are hot anime hits such as My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball and Naruto or famous real-life musicians such as Eminem, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande. Various popular games have also had characters appear in Fortnite, such as Solid Snake from Metal Gear, Master Chief from Halo or Ryu and Chun-Li from Street Fighter. A giant game company like Nintendo, with names that have gone deep into popular culture like Mario, Link or Kirby is definitely an object that Epic Games always wants to cooperate with. However, that would seem to be an unlikely endeavor.
In an interview with Axios, Epic Games CEO Saxs Persson revealed that the publisher has repeatedly tried to negotiate with the Japanese giant to bring Nintendo characters to Fortnite. According to Persson, Epic Games actively expressed a desire to cooperate, but Nintendo never showed interest.
Despite the number of players who want to see Nintendo characters in Fortnite, it doesn’t look like that will happen in the near future. Nintendo is first and foremost a family-friendly brand and it’s clear that the Japanese giant wouldn’t want to see its characters being shot or performing any non-standard moves in another company’s game. .
While a collaboration between Nintendo and Fortnite will probably never happen, Epic Games still wants to try adding Nintendo characters to the skins roster. “Nintendo has their strategy and we have our strategy, and we hope at some point to be allowed to use their characters,” Perrson said. “Our players will love them,” he added.
Speaking of Fortnite, the CEO believes that the addition of characters will continue, and that the recent addition of age ratings to certain areas in Fortnite will bring greater benefits. They will even create many combination opportunities that were previously difficult to think of, such as the new LEGO Fortnite mode added in Chapter 5 Season 1.
