Xbox |OT|

[coolbeans]

Machiavellian said:

coolbeans said:

True, but it popularized it to the nth degree.  I still remember Soul Caliber II including Link with Gamecube along with Darth Vader and Yoda on Playstation and Xbox.  There have been scores of mainstream media cross-pollinations before, but Fortnite feels like the first one to make that central to its DNA *as* an IP (in my view).  Hell, some of its newer mechanics were literally reserved until the next new property - Marvel, Star Wars, etc. - were announced for its latest update.  

It feels like the first to fully capture Ready Player One's deluge of nerd cameos as central to the plot.

I think it feels more prevalent with Fortnite because it's one of those forever games and thus since it's free to play its whole model is trying to sell character skins cosmetics and season passes.

The GaaS side of online gaming is another major component, for sure.  Keeping with the Ready Player One example: imagine if a later edition came out that incorporated Fidget Spinners as a weapon or other recent cultural phenomena alongside all of the 80s nostalgia.  At this stage, anything less than a "hard M-rated" series could be eligible for the Fortnite spotlight.