Toy company Hasbro and Epic Games are longtime collaborators, creating a variety of Fortnite-inspired action figures and other toys since they first agreed to work together in 2018. As reported by Game Informer, the two companies revealed today that their partnership would continue for another five years, promising that the extended deal would bring with it an assortment of new in-game additions and more merchandise for fans.
"Hasbro’s expertise in the realm of collectible figure and role play segments has yielded incredibly positive results," said Hasbro SVP GM Adam Biehl, promising that the deal with Epic Games would extend the range of Fortnite toys coming to stores. If fans want an indicator of what that means for the future of the game's merchandise, Hasbro pointed to its recent G.I. Joe collaboration with Epic Games as a strong example.
The deal saw Snake Eyes crop up as a new skin in Fortnite, coming complete with Katana harvester and back bling cosmetics. Alongside his release in the game, Hasbro went on to drop an action figure of the skin, which players could pick up in stores. It seems these types of crossover collaborations could become more frequent going forward, dipping into more of Hasbro's franchises and bringing them to Fortnite. The company even allegedly claimed the deal would see the release of more "in-game" content, so expect the worlds of Hasbro and Fortnite to bleed into each other more frequently in the years to come
As for what could make the jump, Hasbro owns a number of significant brands that would fit into Fortnite's battle royale tournaments, including Transformers, Power Rangers, Action Man, and Nerf. It'll be interesting to see what eventually makes its way to the game, especially considering the title has welcomed cameos from several major IPs as of late. Over the past few weeks, the likes of God of War's Kratos, Halo's Master Chief, The Mandalorian's Din Djarin, and Street Fighter's Ryu have all cropped up in the game.
There are even rumors surrounding the implementation of two Alien skins based on Ripley and the Xenomorph, alongside the potential addition of Family Guy's Peter Griffin. Hasbro will definitely be able to spruce the game up with a few characters or gun cosmetics of its own, especially with such a strong range of brands at its disposal. The game is currently pulling in large amounts of players due to its most recent event, with Season 5's Zero Point making for the battle royale's most surprising stint yet. It has left the door open to tons of fun crossovers, reinvigorating the franchise and offering plenty of fun skins to collect.
Source: Game Informer