Summary
Fortnitehas had so many crossovers since launch that it can be difficult to keep track. Almost everything, from classic video game characters like Chun-Li and Lara Croft, toreal celebrities such as Eminem and Billie Eilish, has featured in Fortnite at some point. If it’s a part of mainstream culture, chances are it’s made its way to Fortnite, which makes the game’s notable lack ofNintendocharacters all the more perplexing.
Turns out there may be a good reason for that though, and it has nothing to do withEpic Gamesitself.In a Game File interview with former Fortnite boss Donald Mustard, it was revealed that Epic Games was planning to include aMetroidcollab for the Zero Crisis Finale back in March 2021, an event which saw the addition of Kratos fromGod of Warand Master Chief fromHalo.
Mustard wanted to introduce Metroid’s Samus Aran alongside Kratos and the Chief to represent an ambitious crossing over of the big three consoles on the market, and Nintendo would have been “thrilled” to have their characters appear, but under one condition. In a move that could only be described as Nintendo being a massive stick in the mud, the company demanded that a Metroid collab had to be exclusive to the Switch version of Fortnite.
Epic Didn’t Want Fortnite To Have Console Exclusive Characters
That would mean that the Nintendo Switch version of Fortnite would include cosmetics not available in other versions, which would have been a little weird considering Fortnite has rather robust cross-platform multiplayer. Epic was not okay with making certain characters platform specific, instead opting to keep Fortnite the same on every platform.
“For me and for all of Epic, we’re like, ‘That is an absolute must. We want to make sure that Fortnite is the same experience, no matter what screen or device you’re playing on.’”
While Samus Aran would be the obvious choice for a Nintendo collaboration, this could also be the reason that Fortnite is yet to feature any Nintendo characters at all, despite the company’s mainstream relevancy. If Nintendo is that protective over Samus Aran, it makes sense that it would be protective of all of its characters. So, if you’re hoping for a Metroid, Mario and The Legend of Zelda crossover in the future, it seems pretty unlikely unless Nintendo has a major shift in attitude.
