Many years after it first secured a deal to bring Thanos to Fortnite, Epic Games continues to ride high on the wave of a handful of different collaborations, with everyone from TikTok stars to galactic heroes setting foot on its sprawling battle royale arena.
As of late, the rumor mill is churning out whispers of another iconic franchise possibly making its way to Fortnite – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Ah yes, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo might just swap their sewer-laden pizza parties for a taste of Fortnite’s adrenaline-fueled chaos.
Much of this buzz comes from various Fortnite leakers who’ve been eerily accurate in the past. Leaksxdefiant is one such Twitter handle, echoed by another leaker named Sam and a third party named Shiina, all peddling pretty much an all-too-familiar tale. although the most recent one might be what lends most credence to this leak.
Not to mention, a codenamed file, FungusNinja, could be an all-too-obvious nod to the green quartet. If you doubt the viability of these code names, remember that Anakin Skywalker’s file once read “PlotTwist.” The intrigue thickens when you realize that some of these leaks have been substantiated by further elements in the game.
Think pizza shops popping up next to noisy sewers and arcade machines getting prime real estate in Point of Interests – sound familiar?
But wait, that’s not all. Fans have noted an upcoming in-game feature, Pizza Party, that will soon be revealed, a scenario reminiscent of where a shotgun was unvaulted just prior to the Terminator making his entrance. It all seems to coincide perfectly with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge receiving DLCs and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem launching digitally. Don’t forget, TMNT: The Last Ronin is officially in development as well after being announced earlier this year. Additionally, a 7MB file tied to the potential collaboration has been speculated to come with multiple edit styles for a TMNT skin, allowing players to morph into any of the four turtles. That’s four skins for the price of one – a marketing masterstroke if you ask me.
Furthermore, the timing could not be more auspicious. Fall Guys, another game under the sprawling umbrella of Epic Games, is ending its TMNT crossover on August 31. What better way for the franchise to extend its gaming limelight by hopping onto the Fortnite bandwagon? Especially when you consider that Fortnite’s new season has introduced a battle pass that includes, among others, a TikTok star and is soon to feature Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars.
It’s not just the Fortnite universe that seems to be magnetizing the turtles; they’re making rounds across other games too – Fall Guys, Street Fighter 6, Minecraft, and Session: Skate, to name a few. With TMNT also appearing in a new film, it’s evident that the turtles are spinning through a marketing whirlpool, and a Fortnite cameo would add significant momentum to this.
For now, the leaks remain unverified. But, if this does come to fruition, the turtles wouldn’t just be a nostalgic nod for the older players; they would represent yet another calculated strike in Fortnite’s seemingly endless ability to blend pop culture into its code.
After all, Fortnite has long ceased to be just a game; it’s a dynamic billboard of cultural references, and it shows no sign of slowing down.
Let’s just hope that this time, the pricing of the crossover is right.
