Will Epic Games Introduce Nintendo Characters To Fortnite In The Future?

Epic Games, known for Fortnite's colossal crossover appeal with pop culture icons, was unsuccessful in negotiations with Nintendo ADR NDTOY to introduce the latter's characters into the game.

Despite Fortnite's immense success and numerous collaborations with diverse brands since its 2017 launch, attempts to integrate Nintendo's iconic characters have hit a deadlock.

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The game seamlessly incorporated various IPs, including anime such as My Hero Academia and Dragon Ball, musicians like Eminem and Ariana Grande and video game characters from franchises, including Metal Gear, Halo and Street Fighter.

In an interview with Axios, Saxs Persson, an Epic Games executive, implied the company's negotiations with Nintendo have been one-sided and challenging: "I don't know what the word for, like, making diamonds is."

Despite gamers' strong desire to see Nintendo characters in Fortnite, the collaboration seemed unlikely due to Nintendo's family-friendly focus. Nintendo is cautious about its characters being involved in actions conflicting with its image, such as violence or appearing on rival platforms.

However, Epic Games remained somewhat optimistic, with Persson stating: "Nintendo has their strategy and we have our strategy, and we hope at some point to use their characters. Our players would love it."

Meanwhile, Kit Ellis, a former Nintendo public relations manager, explained in a video (via IGN): "They don't need Fortnite. They're bigger than Fortnite. The stuff that they do is bigger than Fortnite."

According to Ellis, Nintendo's decades-long effort in building its characters and IPs, such as "The Super Mario Bros Movie" and the success of the Nintendo Switch, suggested the company didn't need to integrate its characters into a game like Fortnite.

"They can just be one of a dozen characters that all play the same, put into a game that's all about shooting people and is so against their brand? It makes no sense... This isn't gonna happen," Ellis concluded.

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