Samus didn’t appear in Fortnite because Nintendo wanted her to be a Switch exclusive

Metroid’s Samus Aran missed out on an appearance in Fortnite because Nintendo wanted the character to only be available on the Switch version of the game.

That’s according to former Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard, who discussed the evolution of the company’s metaverse project in a recent interview with Game File.

Kratos from Sony’s God of War series and Master Chief from Microsoft’s Halo franchise joined Fortnite in December 2020 as part of Chapter 2: Season 5’s ‘Gaming Legends Series’.

Court documents published the following year as part of a legal battle between Epic and Apple revealed that the Fortnite maker had also wanted to introduce a skin based on Metroid mascot Samus, but why one never materialised hadn’t been confirmed until now.

Mustard said Nintendo declined Epic’s offer to include the character in the game.

“They got really hung up on their characters showing up on platforms that weren’t their platforms,” he said.

“They would be thrilled to have Nintendo characters in Fortnite, but just only if it’s on their platform.”

Mustard said Epic wouldn’t agree to this stipulation.

“For me and for all of Epic, we’re like, ‘That is an absolute must. We want to make sure that Fortnite is the same experience, no matter what screen or device you’re playing on.’”

Earlier today, it was announced that singer-songwriter Billie Eilish is coming to Fortnite.

Confirmation that Eilish is joining music experience Fortnite Festival on April 23 arrived just days after the star’s appearance in the game was included on what’s claimed to be a leaked 2024 content roadmap image.

If genuine, post-apocalyptic (Mad Max?) and Marvel seasons of Fortnite battle royale could be on the way, ahead of the launch of another OG Season and Chapter 6 in the fourth quarter of the year.

Alongside Eilish, Metallica and Snoop Dogg could also be upcoming Fortnite Festival featured artists, the roadmap suggested.