Fortnite recently had its latest Zero Hour chapter closer, and it was probably the closest thing we will ever have to the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny (if you know, you know). I’ve always known that Fortnite had a plethora of collaborations under its belt, but seeing almost every IP available suddenly burst onto the screen, Avengers: Endgame style, put everything into perspective. Fortnite is a game that has been running for over 8 years, and during this time, it has evolved into something more than just a Battle Royale. This is a game that has tried everything, and now that it’s reaching IP collaborations that would make Super Smash Bros blush, I have to ask:
Where’s the Smash Bros. Clone?
IP Heaven
IP stands for intellectual property, and for the longest time, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was considered to be the king when it comes to IP collaborations. I’m sure everyone remembers how crazy the internet got over the thought of Steve from Minecraft battling it out against Joker from Persona, and as I say it now, it still sounds completely absurd. But the thing is, this type of IP vs IP crossover happens in Fortnite daily, and the list of IPs to choose from is growing with every update. I have seen clips of Godzilla dancing to Le Sserafim just before wiping an entire squad and doing the 6-7 emote, and I’m afraid I will never truly recover.
But I believe this type of IP crossover is exactly why Fortnite has stayed afloat all these years, and EPIC knows this very well. Aside from being a fun battle royale shooter, Fortnite has evolved into something of a marketing tool to increase interest in a specific brand. I guarantee you that Fortnite will have better reach for the younger generation compared to something like a YouTube ad or a billboard. Other companies have obviously picked up on this, too, with Disney going all-in to ensure that their Marvel characters get the spotlight they deserve just before their big theatrical release. And because of the marketing appeal, they now encourage a steady stream of new IPs to add to their roster.
Copycat franchise
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Fortnite is gearing up to be the game that does everything. Roblox currently has the crown for the everything game, but Fortnite is slowly closing in. Ballistic, Rock Band, and Rocket League are just a few of the official copycat games from EPIC, but every community game mode and map shows endless possibilities for the game’s engine. Doing a bit of research into the creative mode shows that there are already a few prototypes geared for fighting game players. These prototypes do need a lot of work, but that’s nothing that a dedicated team of developers from Epic can’t fix.
Now for a bit of daydreaming as to what type of fighting game this could be. As a player, I am very much in love with 2D and 3D fighting games, but the Super Smash Bros. formula is undeniably the way to go. Fortnite is a party game that people of all ages can enjoy, and Super Smash Bros. just has that same energy. A majority of crossover games (we don’t talk about Jump Force) also employ the same type of gameplay, such as Multiversus and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Admittedly, these are bad examples since both of them flopped miserably, but EPIC will undoubtedly have more staying power because of the IPs at its fingertips.
Why it might never work
As beautiful as a crossover fighting game of this proportion could be, realistically, it may take a lot of legwork to get off the ground. Mainly because we don’t really know the terms of agreement between Epic and these IP owners. One of the main things that almighty Masahiro Sakurai fell victim to when trying to get characters for Super Smash Bros. was that every IP wanted to be on top. In Fortnite, everyone was on equal footing, and every IP was more aesthetic than functional. The same cannot be said for fighting games.
Famous actor Dwayne Johnson had an infamous clause in his contract that prevented him from losing a fight during a film (mostly due to his inflated ego), now imagine that for every IP. Before a company agrees to put their character in a fighting game, they need to make sure the character’s reputation isn’t disrespected by being absolute dogwater. Case in point, the nightmare that is Bayonetta and Joker meta.
But aside from the tedious balancing act of having every collaboration be true and respectful to the character, it may take a while to even envision unique movesets for the number of IPs that EPIC currently has. So while I remain enthusiastic about the idea of Fortnite eventually hauling its IPs over to a Smash-like, I will also be managing my expectations.
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