Steam's popular creature-collecting survival game, Palworld, appears to be on a trajectory for a future collaboration with Epic Games' Fortnite. This development comes as Nintendo, the owner of the Pokémon franchise, has reportedly shown no interest in bringing its characters into Fortnite.
Pocketpair's head of publishing and communications, John "Bucky" Buckley, first signaled potential interest in a Fortnite crossover in January, playfully suggesting a partnership on social media. This overture seems to have been met with interest from Epic Games, which has since added Palworld to its in-game surveys. These surveys are frequently used to gauge player interest in potential crossovers and new content.
Following the survey inclusion, Buckley posted a cryptic message on social media, asking fans which Pal creature they would like to see as a hypothetical skin. He prefaced the question by stating it was purely theoretical and offered no promise of it ever happening.
Fortnite has a history of successful collaborations with various gaming franchises, including titles like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, God of War, and Halo. Recent leaks suggest that Fortnite's upcoming season will heavily feature gaming crossovers, with Sonic, Kingdom Hearts, and Persona reportedly in line for appearances. Palworld's potential inclusion could be bolstered by Fortnite's recent success with its in-game Sprites, a creature-collecting mechanic that has significantly boosted player numbers. Furthermore, Fortnite's announcement of highlighting player-made games featuring its pet-like Sidekicks offers another potential avenue for Palworld's integration.
Despite numerous opportunities, including a Super Mario Galaxy movie tie-in, Nintendo has consistently refrained from allowing its intellectual properties, particularly Pokémon, to appear in Fortnite. Reports suggest Nintendo has been hesitant to feature its characters on rival consoles. This reluctance from Nintendo could be creating an opening for Palworld.
Palworld has experienced a resurgence in popularity following its 1.0 update, which introduced several modifications to Pal designs that made them less similar to Pokémon. While Pocketpair did not comment on these design changes, a new whale-like Pal was added, which some fans believe is inspired by a Pokémon. These design adjustments may have been made in response to an ongoing legal dispute between The Pokémon Company and Pocketpair concerning patent usage, with a judgment expected later this year.
The Palworld 1.0 update launched earlier this month, marking the game's exit from early access. Pocketpair noted that the game's success had exceeded expectations, with over 40 million players engaging with Palworld since its initial early access release. The developers stated the price would remain at $29.99 due to its strong performance.