Fortnite getting NBA-themed mini game, LeBron James skin

Olivia Richman Published 05/05/2021

Epic Games shared an internal presentation that revealed a Fortnite road map full of collaborations, skins, and game modes. 

As the Epic v. Apple trial continues, the game developer has shared a quarterly business review from June 2020, outlining the battle royale’s current state, future plans, and strategic priorities. One of the most interesting and innovative changes that developers have been planning is a partnership with the NBA. 

The presentation contained a slide that outlined an “arcade basketball” project where players would compete in a mini-game that’s completely separate from the battle royale. Not only would Fortnite fans get this game mode, but a bunch of themed emotes, events, and even NBA post-game shows within the game. Possibly the most exciting for Fortnite players is the possibility of a LeBron James skin. 

While Epic has not made any public comments since the reveal of the document, publications have noted that many other crossover events in the presentation have come to fruition, including Marvel and Neymar, a soccer star from Brazil. This makes it very likely that the NBA event is a major possibility. Of course, nothing has been confirmed by Epic Games thus far. 

Fortnite planning The Rock, Naruto, and Samus skins

Epic Games doesn’t only have its eyes on the NBA. Future collaborations are varied, promising more exciting crossovers for Fortnite players. One of the themed skins mentioned in the presentation is a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson skin. This would be part of the game’s Icon series and is said to come out the first quarter of 2021. So far, no official partnership has been announced aside from a very secretive Instagram post from The Rock. 

The document also mentioned a Naruto-themed skin. This wouldn’t be the first time that the anime was featured in gaming culture. Naruto Shippuden recently collaborated with Team Liquid to create exclusive Naruto-themed merch. It’s not out of the question for Naruto to continue showing up in the gaming space, though it would most certainly be weird to see the ninja running around with an assault rifle. 

Another big name in the presentation was Samus, from Nintendo’s classic Metroid series. It would be pretty surprising to see a Nintendo character in Fortnite since Nintendo is often very picky with their properties, but video game crossovers are quite common in Fortnite and have included Master Chief and Kratos. 

Epic Games also included Katniss Everdeen, Snake Plissken, and Kill Bill’s The Bride in their list of possible skins. These concepts would continue the game’s iconic crossovers with major pop culture from throughout gaming, movies, and beyond. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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