Over the last few years, fans have gotten to see video game icons like Master Chief and Kratos battling it out with Fortnite characters like Brite Bomber and Peely. Arguably the biggest mascots of Xbox and PlayStation have both appeared in the game, but that leaves one company notably missing: Nintendo. While the big N has no problem hosting Fortnite on Switch, and even promoting the game on its social channels, it seems the company has stopped short of allowing Epic Games to use its characters. In a new interview with Axios, Saxs Persson of Epic Games talked about how hard the company has worked to convince Nintendo.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I don’t know what the word for, like, making diamonds is,” said Persson when asked how hard the company has tried to “woo” Nintendo.
“Nintendo has their strategy and we have our strategy, and we hope at some point [to use their characters, because] our players would love it,” Persson told Axios.
Samus Fortnite Leak
It’s not a complete surprise to hear that Epic Games has been working to win over Nintendo. Persson’s comments add a bit of extra context to a Fortnite leak from 2021. That year, the Epic Games v. Apple court case made public an in-house presentation that revealed unreleased skins and collaborations that the company had been working on. Metroid protagonist Samus Aran was in that presentation, leading to speculation that a skin based on the character would end up in Fortnite. That never came to pass, and now we have a better idea why it didn’t happen.ย
Nintendo Characters in Other Games
Nintendo has always been protective of its characters, and selective about which games they appear in. The company has gotten a bit more relaxed over the last few years, encouraging crossovers like 2019’s Cadence of Hyruleย or Minecraft‘s Super Mario Mash-up Pack. We’ve even seen skins based on Link, Zelda, and Samus appear in M-rated games like The Witcher 3, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, and Bayonetta. It seems odd that Nintendo wouldn’t allow some of these characters in a T-rated game likeย Fortnite, but there is one plausible explanation: Nintendo might be concerned about its characters appearing on competing platforms.ย
When Master Chief and Kratos were added to Fortnite a few years ago, PlayStation and Xbox had to allow their signature characters to appear in all versions of the game. Basically, if you bought a skin of either of these characters, they can be played on any version. That was likely a bridge too far for Nintendo; while Nintendo allows cross-play and cross-saves for Minecraft, the game’s Mario Mash-Up Pack can only be accessed on platforms like 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. Unless Epic Games can come up with a way where Nintendo’s characters are exclusive to the Switch version of Fortnite, it probably won’t happen!ย
Are you surprised Nintendo won’t allow its characters in Fortnite? Do you think it will ever happen? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter atย @Marcdachampย or on Instagram atย @Dachampgaming!
