If this most recent Fortnite leak is real (and it sure looks that way), The Mandalorian stars Din Djarin and The Child, AKA Baby Yoda, are coming alongside Season 5's battle pass skins. This signals Epic Games cozying up even more closely to Disney, and it just makes logical sense following Fortnite's many marketing partnerships with the entertainment megacorporation and its biggest properties.
Since ballooning into the most popular game on the market, Fortnite has made itself no stranger to deals across the multimedia aisle with some of the biggest names in pop culture, as this entire past season of the game will attest. Crossovers with Disney's Marvel and Star Wars franchises have become the battle royale-turned-social platform's bread and butter, with Marvel Comics heroes' adventures in the game becoming actual canon and in-game lightsaber battles and stormtrooper sightings slowly becoming a regular occurrence for players. When Fortnite announced a surprising Disney+ deal earlier this month, rumors immediately began to circulate that the streaming platform's biggest hit, The Mandalorian, would be next to appear on The Island.
It seems that Epic may have mistakenly played its cards a little too early on this one, as SexyNutella_ alleges that the data for the next Fortnite Epic Games Store launcher icon was leaked by the developer well ahead of Season 5's November 30 launch. Accompanied by a crib-bound Baby Yoda, the potential Din Djarin skin pictured below perfectly matches Fortnite's art style and lighting. If it's a fake, it's exceptionally well-done, but it doesn't take much imagination to assume that this is the real article. Also shown in the leaked icon are a cybernetic suit-clad female character with short hair and a bandolier-carrying balloon man... thing? Details so far are expectedly fuzzy, but that's sure to change soon.
Considering that this very believable revelation is coming right after Epic announced that Disney+ subscriptions are being bundled with V-Bucks, many players are likely equal parts unsurprised and excited to play as TV's coolest bounty hunter. After Season 4's epic Nexus War crossover with Marvel Comics, many were expecting The Mandalorian to headline an entire Star Wars-themed season, but that doesn't seem to be the case based on the two unrecognizable skins standing on either side of Din Djarin. If any Star Wars heroes should become battle pass skins, the titular Mandalorian is a perfect Fortnite fit with his character design focus on blasters, gadgets, and armor, but the apparent incorporation of The Child in his skin (if the leaked image is to be taken at face value) throws a wrench into what players expect from the game's cosmetics.
While Baby Yoda's presence (and safety) seem somewhat confusing and potentially problematic for now, it's no exaggeration to state that this is one of Fortnite's most highly requested skins come true. The Mandalorian is already Disney's ace-in-the-hole media property and live service-seller, and it now seems Epic Games wants in, too.
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Source: SexyNutella_