Is Pokemon Actually Coming To Fortnite?

On the surface, a "Pokémon" and "Fortnite" crossover seems like the most fitting, likeliest collaboration ever. Those colorful and energetic critters would fit right into that bombastic and over-saturated world that's already full of franchise references no one ever thought they'd see together in one game. From indie hits like "Goat Simulator" all the way to media titans like "Marvel's Avengers," and even long-running classic anime series like "Dragon Ball Z," "Fortnite" has nearly collected every notable item in today's pop media zeitgeist during its evolution from a much darker game to the unreal spectacle we know today — why not add the world's highest-grossing franchise (per Statista) to the list?

The internet seems to agree, for the most part. Fan-made collaborations aren't uncommon, and some of them are even convincing enough that they're mistaken for official announcements — much like the recent trailer made by fan animator Feraasly, which has racked up over a million views and had nearly every reply lamenting that the video wasn't actually from Epic Games. Even the widely spread image of a "Pokémon Go" trainer rendered in the "Fortnite" style was made by Reddit user LawrenceOW last year. As of now, there are no official images, renders, trailers, or announcements that confirm any sort of collaboration between the two franchises — and most likely, there won't be one anytime soon.

There are a few theories and pieces of "evidence" floating around the internet that argue that a "Pokémon" and "Fortnite" collaboration is in the works, and unfortunately, none of them quite hold up to close scrutiny. Fans might recall a viral tweet in November 2022 that claimed "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet" featured the "Fortnite" Special Edition Switch in the player's bedroom — which, as Sportskeeda reported, was swiftly debunked in the comments as the color of the player character's joy-cons are more or less customizable.

Another notable "hint" came from the October leaks of "Fortnite Creative 2.0," the successor to "Fortnite"'s Creative Mode. Twitter user and self-proclaimed "Fortnite" leaker HYPEX shared screenshots of what looked like a custom island editor featuring a few Pokémon, of all things, as custom props that could be placed in the game — understandably, a few fans and even some publications took this as a semi-official hint that a collaboration might be in place. However, a close look at the leaked image shows that the project is titled "NintendoLawSuit," which doesn't exactly imply a collaborative spirit in any sense. While this leak could be taken as definitive evidence that some on the "Fortnite" development team are interested in a "Pokémon" crossover, it seems more likely than not that there are no official negotiations in place at the moment. For now, there's no telling if Nintendo will ever be willing to lend their biggest franchise to the growing list of collaborators of "Fortnite."