Highlights

  • No Samus Aran Metroid skin in Fortnite due to Nintendo's demands for exclusivity on Switch platform.
  • Fortnite has featured iconic characters like Kratos and Master Chief in partnerships with other franchises.
  • Nintendo's refusal to allow Samus on non-Nintendo platforms highlights their strict control over character licensing.

Fortnite could have added a Samus Aran Metroid skin for its players, but Nintendo's demands led to it not happening. This comes courtesy of Epic Games' former Chief Creative Officer, who revealed some interesting details about the potential Fortnite deal and how it fell apart.

Fortnite has had myriads of partnerships with cultural icons at this point, bringing people from the real world and those from games, movies, and other mediums to the game. Back in 2020, Fortnite began bringing in characters from other video games series to the delight of its fans. These additions have included iconic characters and franchises like God of War's Kratos and Halo's Master Chief, as well as faces like Tomb Raider's Lara Croft and Resident Evil's Leon S. Kennedy. As a recent interview reveals, Nintendo was approached by Epic Games about the possibility of including Samus in this list, but the two companies couldn't come to agreement about Nintendo's requirements.

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Former Epic Chief Creative Officer Donald Mustard recently spoke with Game File (via VideoGamesChronicle) about the deal, shedding some light on the matter. The idea of a Samus skin coming to Fortnite was revealed during the Epic v Apple lawsuit as having once been part of Epic's plan, but nothing further was known about it beyond leaks and rumors. Now, Mustard has explained that Epic Games wanted to add Samus and approached Nintendo on the matter. As it turns out, Nintendo was actually enthusiastic about the idea, and would have agreed to the addition, but only if Samus had been exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of Fortnite.

According to Mustard, Nintendo "got really hung up on their characters showing up on platforms that weren't their platforms." This was a deal killer for Fortnite, as Epic Games has wanted the game to be identical across all platforms it's playable on. Limiting Samus to the Nintendo Switch would have not only cut into the profits generated by the skin, but also would have meant setting a precedent for limiting what's available in the game based on the system a player used. Unfortunately, Nintendo and Epic couldn't come to an agreement that would satisfy both companies, so Samus' addition was scrapped. Comparatively, Sony apparently didn't balk at the idea, leading to former PlayStation-exclusive Kratos joining Fortnite on Xbox and other platforms.

Nintendo and its Characters

This is in keeping with the way Nintendo has conducted its business over the years. Most Nintendo-owned characters have rarely appeared outside of Nintendo's own properties, and even less so on other gaming systems. The main exception to this would be mobile devices, with games like Mario Kart Tour and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp being added to iOS and Android devices. However, Nintendo only expanded its business to mobile devices in relatively recent times compared to its long history as a video game company.

Unfortunately, barring any major changes in the way Epic or Nintendo run their games and do business, this also means it's highly unlikely any other Nintendo characters will be added to Fortnite.