Maybe I’m too much of a hater to appreciate Fortnite, which feels like it’s become the king of modern-day crossover slop, but seeing how its obvious cultural dominance has bled into games I love like Overwatch, maybe I’m not hating enough. Constant references and collaborations have become such a big pillar of Overwatch‘s business model, in what feels like a play for Fortnite‘s multi-fandom reach, and I’m tired of so many properties bleeding into one another. Overwatch has put its foot on the gas with crossover skins in recent years, so I guess its heroes finally coming to Fortnite to have shootouts with Rick and Morty and Huntr/x from KPop Demon Hunters is a regrettably predictable full-circle moment.
After a bunch of leaks and speculation, Epic and Blizzard finally announced that D.Va, Tracer, Genji, and Mercy will be coming to Fortnite on May 14. The announcement trailer is a bit awkward and reuses decade-old voice lines for several characters. I kind of hate the Fortnite art style on these characters, too. It shaves away the Pixar-esque look of them.
Ugh. It just makes me feel gross. This would have been exciting a decade ago when Overwatch was the biggest game in the world, and Fortnite hadn’t dumped every piece of pop culture into its swirling goop of intellectual properties. Now? I just wish I could drop in and save these characters from this fate.
Ultimately, this is a promotional play for Overwatch after its soft reboot earlier this year for the hero shooter’s 10th anniversary, and I guess if anyone gets nostalgic for Overwatch seeing these characters in the game and installs it, they’ll find the game in one of the best states it’s ever been. I just wish it didn’t feel so goddamn icky.