It has recently emerged that Epic Games was originally reluctant to include characters from outside franchises in Fortnite. This changed when the Russo brothers had an over five-hour long phone conversation with Donald Mustard in which they convinced him to bring Thanos to the battle royale. This initial collaboration paved a new path, and today Fortnite regularly partners with other popular franchises, incorporating characters and content from Dragon Ball Z to Star Wars.
Recently, Epic Games concluded Fortnite’s Galactic Battles mini-season, which saw the biggest crossover with Star Wars to date. During this special collaboration, the battle royale’s entire loot pool was filled with Star Wars-themed weapons, and several iconic characters and locations were also added to the map. Now, new rumors indicate that another mini-season is on the way, and this time it could have The Simpsons as its center. Several reliable leakers claim that the upcoming map will be based on Springfield, although its size is expected to be smaller than the current battle royale island.
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According to a report by The Game Business, Epic Games was initially against the idea of adding collaborative skins to Fortnite. Things changed when renowned filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo who directed blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame spoke to Epic’s then-Chief Creative Officer Donald Mustard on a five-hour long call. Pete Wanat, who works with the Russo brothers at AGBO as President of Interactive Technology, revealed that the director wanted Thanos to invade the world of Fortnite. However, Mustard was initially not in favor of the idea, as he was opposed to adding outside characters to Fortnite. This idea seems almost impossible today, when Fortnite has dozens of franchise characters.
Donald Mustard Didn’t Want Outside Characters in Fortnite
Things changed completely after the Russo brothers arranged a phone call with Donald Mustard. While the call was scheduled for only 30 minutes, the conversation lasted for over five hours. By the end of this lengthy discussion, Mustard changed his stance on the collaboration, resulting in Thanos being added to Fortnite. Later, Mustard left Epic Games and is now employed with Joe and Anthony Russo at AGBO.
To say that that phone call completely changed the popular battle royale of Fortnite would probably be an exaggeration, but it was certainly a turning point. Today, the game is filled with collaborative skins, items, and events. In fact, Fox animation properties like Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and King of the Hill are joining Fortnite on June 13, as part of a larger crossover. It would not be an exaggeration to say that that phone call between Mustard and the Russo brothers kickstarted the trend of collaborations not just in Fortnite, but in the gaming industry as a whole. Many games now regularly crossover with movies, TV shows, and other media. With so much exciting content and more to come, fans are extremely excited about the future of Fortnite.
