Is Kirby coming to Fortnite? Party Royale trailer gives new clues

Olivia Richman Published 11/05/2020

Fortnite recently revealed their new Party Royale mode, which takes away the closing circle that makes rotation such an intense part of the original battle royale format. But it wasn’t the new mode that had people all over the internet talking about the trailer: it was the Kirby sighting.

Kirby can first be seen at the start of the trailer, possibly dancing near the bottom of the screen where Epic plans to host live concerts in-game. He is seen again in the middle of the trailer, this time appearing to float on top of the screen. It’s hard to tell from the trailer exactly what Kirby’s movements are, but there’s no denying that Sakurai’s first son is present in some capacity.

Twitter user FactsKirby also shared some screenshots of Kirby’s surprise appearance. The Kirby fan also noted that Kriby has appeared with Fortnite before. In 2019, the pink Nintendo icon was featured in a wallpaper from Nintendo’s loyalty program that accidentally also included a Fortnite logo on it. This could have been an inadvertant leak of a future collaboration between Nintendo and Fortnite, but Nintendo never made a comment on the wallpaper.

In Fortnite’s “Welcome to Party Royale” trailer, Kirby is visible during a live show, which was censored in the Sony trailer. This isn’t the first time Kirby and Fortnite appeared together — a 2019 My Nintendo wallpaper for Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn erroneously had a Fortnite logo. pic.twitter.com/qYQY4dqdDz
— Kirby: Star Facts (@FactsKirby) May 8, 2020

Here is a clearer image of Kirby’s appearance in the trailer. pic.twitter.com/XVHH7cxa1L
— Kirby: Star Facts (@FactsKirby) May 8, 2020

KirbyFacts also pointed out that Sony and Microsoft both censored Kirby’s appearance in the Party Royale trailer. This could be due to Nintendo never approving of Kirby’s appearance in the trailers, or it could be some type of exclusive content for Fortnite players on the Nintendo Switch. Many people are wondering if there is going to be a Kirby crossover in Fortnite, with skins, dance emotes or limited time game modes.

While this is something Epic has done with many popular movies and television shows, Nintendo has historically been highly protective of their famous characters. Sony even had to take down Nintendo-related creations made by fans in the PlayStation 4 game Dreams.

Even though players are holding out hope for a Kirby collab in the popular battle royale, a lot of Nintendo fans are already assuming the event would be highly unlikely. GoNintendo has even speculated that the DJ being live streamed on the in-game screen was the one to share the Kirby image, meaning Kirby wasn’t part of Fortnite itself at all. That could also explain why Sony and Microsoft blurred out the adorable hero, knowing that Nintendo would most likely not approve of Kirby’s appearance in Fortnite.

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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