The possibility of Final Fantasy 7 characters appearing in Fortnite is uncertain, but director Naoki Hamaguchi has indicated that Square Enix is considering various collaborations. In a recent interview with Vice, Hamaguchi discussed the franchise's selective approach to partnerships, emphasizing the need to protect the Final Fantasy 7 brand.
"What I can say right now is that, looking back at the history of Final Fantasy 7, fans might notice this, but we haven’t had a lot of very major collaborations with other IPs. This is mostly because we wanted to be selective to protect the brand of Final Fantasy 7. But what I can say now is that we are, you know, considering a lot of, you know, different collaborations at the moment," Hamaguchi stated. He added that whether Fortnite is among these potential partners is "something for the fans to look forward to."
This indirect response has fueled hope among fans for a potential crossover. Should such a collaboration materialize, Hamaguchi mentioned that he would personally choose Barret, finding the idea of his iconic machine-gun arm integrated into Fortnite's gameplay amusing. However, no concrete plans have been announced.
Fortnite's current season, Chapter 7 Season 4, features a theme of video games and hacking, which has already led to the inclusion of cosmetics from franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash Bandicoot, Mega Man, and Spyro. Future additions include characters from Kingdom Hearts and Persona 5.
Separately, Hamaguchi revealed that the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will feature a parachute mechanic for players to descend onto the map from the Highwind airship, a feature directly inspired by Fortnite's Battle Bus drop into the island. This mechanic will allow players to glide to their preferred locations upon exiting the vessel.