Although Fortnite gained its popularity on its own merits, the battle royale has become well-known for its crossover with massive mainstream franchises, with memorable Marvel characters like Deadpool takinh over the game. This time, some fans believe that Epic Games might be gearing up for a crossover with the beloved video game titan Nintendo.
Recently, Fortnite unveiled its Party Royale mode. Epic's latest addition to the game allows players to play together without worrying about a closing circle. The mode's live events have also allowed for star-studded concerts and live shows by musicians like Diplo. However, Epic's recent promotions for Party Royale included brief appearances from Nintendo's popular protagonist Kirby.
News site GoNintendo first uncovered this cameo. In the first seconds of the Fortnite trailer, Kirby appears in a corner of Party Royale's big screen. The pink puffball pops up again on another live show screen 25 seconds in. Twitter user FactsKirby also chimed in, noting that Sony and Microsoft had censored Kirby's appearance. He also noted that this was not Kirby's first interaction with the battle royale. In 2019, a Kirby wallpaper from Nintendo's loyalty program had accidentally included a Fortnite logo on it.
It is important to note, at this point, that Nintendo has not confirmed any crossovers with Fortnite. Furthermore, Nintendo has stayed silent on whether or not it approved Kirby's appearance in the trailers. This ambiguity might explain why Sony and Microsoft excluded the adorable character from its versions of the trailers.
Nintendo is highly protective of its IPs, and the two companies would want to avoid legal action. Previously, Sony had to take down Nintendo fan creations in the PS4 game Dreams after the developer sent a cease-and-desist. As for whether a crossover with Kirby is likely, that's uncertain and probably unlikely. Even GoNintendo guessed that the DJ on-screen at the time might have just really liked the puffball.
Although Kirby may not be a playable character in Fortnite anytime soon, Epic Games probably isn't done collaborating with popular characters. According to recent leaks, Aquaman will be showing up in-game in time for the battle royale's water-themed season.
Fortnite is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: GoNintendo