Fortnite has now launched its next crossover event. This time there is a collaboration with the NBA (National Basketball Association). Each NBA basketball team will get its own skin. This is likely to bring in a lot of money for developer Epic Games.
What is this crossover? The crossover is a collaboration between the F2P game Fortnite and the big NBA, the US basketball league.
Official jerseys and other gimmicks will be available for purchase in Fortnite. There have been similar events with the NFL (National Football Association) and also with various European football clubs.
We will show you why this event is likely to pour millions of US dollars into Epic Games’ pockets again and what exactly is involved.
Here you can check out the trailer:
NBA crossover is likely to bring in big bucks – experience shows it
Why is this event particularly worthwhile for Epic Games? While Fortnite is already a very successful game that brings in a lot of money, the idea of bringing NBA jerseys to Fortnite will boost that even further.
This is clearly evidenced by what was already earned during the NFL crossover: Such events with big partners generate significantly more revenue.
How much money did the NFL crossover make back then? Thanks to a lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple and a report from forbes.com, we know that the event likely brought in over 50 million US dollars – in just 2 months. (via forbes.com)
Only other events like Star Wars or Marvel come close to such dimensions, which, however, had several crossover events over a longer period.
Since then, the legal dispute has been ongoing. The last anecdote comes from early May 2021, where a court accidentally allowed phone calls during a hearing. Children then called in, shouting “Free Fortnite” into the phone.
That’s why the crossover is likely to be just as successful: As the NBA is similarly popular in the USA, Epic Games is likely to expect a profit in similar dimensions. The crossover could even be more successful, as the NBA is more internationally popular than the NFL.
The NFL is the higher-grossing league (via de.statistica.com), but basketball is significantly more popular internationally and ranks third according to mostpopularsports.net, behind cricket in second place and football in first place. (via mostpopularsports.net)
When does the crossover start? It has been ongoing since May 19.
What exactly does the event bring?
Here’s what’s included: Since the NBA consists of 30 basketball teams, there will be 30 jersey variants accordingly. However, this does not mean that you have to purchase the 30 skins individually.
In the game itself, there are 6 different skin variants, male and female. You can then customize them to the jerseys of your desired team.
Additional to that, there will be emote packs, a back accessory, and special locker bundles. These were put together by individual NBA players and are available in the item shop. For more information about what else is included, you can find on the official Fortnite website. (via epicgames.com)
Sports skins are especially popular with power gamers
What’s special about the skins: In the past, “football skins” that operate on a similar principle were largely purchased by power gamers. Because you get a convertible skin in many variations, which you only have to buy once. From a “cost/benefit” perspective, sports skins are therefore attractive.
For a while, players in football jerseys in Fortnite were considered potentially deadly opponents and were even hated.
