CARY – Epic Games’ globally popular Fortnite video game is now going pop culture in a deal with Funko.
Fortnite has turned into a money machine for the Cary-based gaming and technology firm with some 125 million players worldwide. Many play the game for free but also buy online accessories. Players can participate in “Battle Royale” or team up for co-op campaigns. The game pits players against hordes of various monsters and also in what Epic believes is the future of gaming can be played across various gaming platforms, from PCs to Apple iOS, Xbox to PlayStation 4.
A Funko collectible
Coming next: The Funko play.
Funko is the producer of popular “Pop!” figures along with apparel, key chains and other items.
“We’re all big fans of Funko’s collectibles, so we were thrilled when we had the chance to partner with them on the Fortnite collection,” said Mak Rein, Epic Games’ vice president. “We hope our players are as excited as we are about all of the cool stuff that’s on its way.”
The two companies say they are partnering to produce “more than 10” product lines, all branded Fortnite. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“We are thrilled to collaborate and partner with Epic Games to create the inaugural Fortnite™ product collection and to bring these characters to life for the first time,” said Brian Mariotti, CEO of Funko, in the announcement.
“This collection will be a true celebration of Fortnite’s incredible popularity and cultural significance, and we believe our Funko Fortnite collectibles will strongly resonate with fans of the game. We look forward to expanding this collection and combining our leading product capabilities with our strong retail platform. Ultimately our goal is to create a powerful merchandise strategy for the Fortnite brand, as well as bring these amazing collectibles to fans around the world.”
The Funko Fortnite products are expected to be available for the 2018 holiday season.
On Tuesday, Epic announced an expanded services and support deal with Amazon Web Services to host servers for Fortnite as well as other Epic products. Epic said it plans to use artificial intelligence and machine learning from AWS to improve game play.
