'Not Interested at First': Thanos Took 5.5 Hours of Pitching to Join Fortnite
A look into the lengthy process it took to get Thanos featured in Fortnite, a pivotal moment in gaming crossover history.
In an era where crossovers are commonplace, it’s surprising to remember that Fortnite once had no such collaborations. Introduced in 2017, it initially lacked characters like Thanos. However, everything changed after a rigorous 5.5-hour conversation that convinced Epic Games to integrate characters from outside sources into the game.
The revelation comes from Pete Wanat, President of Interactive Technology at AGBO, who recounted the tale of overcoming reluctance among executives about including external characters. According to Wanat, “It was Joe and Anthony who got together with Donald and convinced him to put those types of characters inside of Fortnite.”
This breakthrough led to contracts with numerous franchises, starting with the infamous Mad Titan in the fourth season of Fortnite in 2018.
Today, crossovers are a standard feature across various genres, demonstrating just how revolutionary that initial call was in paving the way for unprecedented collaborations in gaming.
