Epic Games' Saxs Persson has reportedly told Axios, as per a Comicbook report, that the company has tried to "woo" Nintendo to make a Fortnite crossover happen, but the deal has yet to come to fruition.
In what Axios describes as arguably Fortnite's most significant crossover, Persson notes that Epic Games has tried hard to convince Nintendo to allow its beloved characters to step into the popular battle royale, reportedly comparing it to making diamonds.
Persson adds that the company understands Nintendo's strategy but has remained hopeful that the Epic Games may get Nintendo's permission, with him adding that "our players would love it."
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Nintendo has canceled its upcoming video game showcase, Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo.
Comicbook reports that Persson's recent comments are no surprise, as it now provides a 2021 Fortnite leak with a little more background. An internal presentation that year, made public by the Epic Games v. Apple legal lawsuit, disclosed unpublished skins and partnerships that the business had been developing.
Samus Aran, the main character from Nintendo's powerhouse franchise, Metroid, was reportedly mentioned in that presentation, which generated rumors that a skin based on the figure might appear in Fortnite but has never materialized.
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An Unlikely Nintendo Crossover
Comicbook reports that the crossover proves unlikely to happen as Nintendo has always taken care to safeguard its characters and has been selective about the games in which their characters make appearances.
Over the past several years, the firm has become more relaxed, such as supporting crossovers for the Cadence of Hyrule (2019) and Super Mario Mash-up Pack (2019) for Minecraft. Even M-rated titles like The Witcher 3, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, and Bayonetta have included skins based on Link, Zelda, and Samus.
But the report suggests that Nintendo may have been worried about its characters appearing on rival platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox, possibly explaining why some characters wouldn't be allowed in a T-rated game like Fortnite.
Gamerant also suggests that the crossover is unlikely to happen despite the large number of gamers who would want to see them. Since Nintendo is mostly a family-friendly business, it seems doubtful that the Japanese behemoth would approve of its characters being shot or participating in any negative Fortnite animations.
More Fortnite Collaborations
Despite the unlikely Nintendo crossover, however, collaborations with the other IPs will continue, as Perrson remarks that the recent inclusion of age ratings for specific islands in Fortnite has been a huge benefit and that he doesn't think the character crossovers will slow down anytime soon.
Greater crossover possibilities that were previously unimaginable are reportedly now possible thanks to age rating implementation, such as the new LEGO Fortnite mode that was introduced in Chapter 5, Season 1.
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