Fortnite’s crossover with IT Chapter Two hasn’t even properly begun, but dataminers have already uncovered what could be evidence of Epic’s next partnership for the battle royale. In a post this morning, dataminer Hypex unveiled evidence of what could be a Splatoon-themed event.
In their tweet, Hypex said that “we might see a Fortnite x Splatoon Collab,” referencing in-game files that they’d found alongside fellow dataminers s1l0x and Lucas7yoshi. Those files, which are for a skin and a piece of back bling, respectively, both contain the word ‘Squidkid’ – potentially pointing to a crossover between Epic’s colourful battle royale and Nintendo’s colourful shooter.
In Splatoon, ‘Squidkid’ is the name of an in-game cosmetics brand – if you were thinking of those paint-spewing child/cephalopod-hybrids that make up much of the game, those are technically known as Inklings. Squidkid might be a more colloquial name – and would certainly be an appropriate fit for Fortnite skins – but not using the correct term does cast a shadow of uncertainty over the rumours.
Still, if this is an early hint at a new crossover, it’s a pretty good fit for Fortnite. Splatoon matches the colourful aesthetic that Epic have opted for, creating a fairly age-appropriate partnership.
We **MIGHT** see a Fortnite x Splatoon Collab..
Found a skin & backbling! (they were added recently to a secret place)-CID_TBD_Athena_Commando_M_SquidKid
-BID_TBD_SquidKid
Credits -> Me, @s1l0x & @Lucas7yoshi pic.twitter.com/Xt4CYj3lIw— HYPEX – Fortnite Leaks & News 🎃 (@HYPEX) September 5, 2019
Which is much more than can be said for some recent crossovers. Pennywise joins John Wick in being an oddly mature pairing for what is ostensibly a children’s game. Borderlands is a similarly adult choice, and even Stranger Things – rated a 15 in the UK – is much gorier than Fortnite’s PEGI 12 rating would account for.
There’s no guarantee that these files are pointing towards a new crossover, and even if they are, the related event is still a while away – Pennywise’s appearance is likely to take a few days, and it hasn’t officially kicked off yet. But if a Nintendo property were to show up in the battle royale, the only logical next step is for Jonesy to take his rightful place as Smash Bros’ fifth and final DLC character.