Epic Games pokes fun at Fortnite fans’ latest obsession
With horror thriller Obsession sweeping the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon, it was only a matter of time before the movie saw some kind of Fortnite collaboration. That crossover is finally here and… it’s probably not what you’d expect.
Spoilers: It’s an Obsession trailer edit in which a rare collectible Fortnite sprite replaces Nikki in all the places she normally appears. The strange crossover pokes fun at how much people are obsessed with sprites, which are essentially Fortnite‘s version of Pokémon. Sprites come in rarities ranging from gold to holofoil, a naming convention which evokes a trading card game. In this case, though, sprites don’t fight each other — they just give players special new abilities.
Sprites have appeared in the game before, but not like this. Their new form has been successful enough that some players follow a strict schedule to collect more sprites and grind the associated currencies.
The edit is clever, I guess, but also disappointing. Rather than this, we could have gotten the skin of Twitch streamer and Obsession star Inde Navarette, or her co-star Michael Johnston. Imagine Freaky Nikki screaming “No, no, no, don’t do that!” while running around with an ax in her hand. She could have had an emote where she breaks a One Wish Willow, or one where she appears wearing the infamous uncanny makeup from the movie. The viral potential would have been huge. You’d probably see gangs of Nikkis running about, much like we saw for girly-pop skins such as Sabrina Carpenter.
Possibly, the game may get a collaboration like that down the line. For now, this trailer mainly appears to advertise the fact that Obsession is available for streaming. You know, in case you’re one of the few people left who still hasn’t seen one of the year’s biggest movies.