Eric Francisco
Tue, July 14, 2026 at 8:35 PM UTC
It shouldn’t be breaking news when I tell you that Fortnite, the still-popular online game, is collaborating with the biggest blockbuster of the year. Pop-culture crossovers are Fortnite’s whole deal, really. But it’s very funny, and maybe misguided, that the latest crossover is with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, represented by Odysseus in the likeness of star Matt Damon. Off the rip: Does anyone behind Fortnite know what The Odyssey is about? Because if they did, there would be greater consideration over putting an assault rifle in the hands of the traumatized king of Ithaca.
On July 14, Epic Games announced an official collaboration with Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey. The announcement came with no extraordinary fanfare, just a 12-second “trailer” <a href="https://comicvibe.com/disney-villains-ursula-5-preview-trident-power-struggle/” title=”Disney Villains: Ursula #5 Preview: Trident Power Struggle”>previewing Matt Damon’s Odysseus as an in-game avatar. “Some say each game is an epic journey of its own” is all the Twitter/X post and Instagram captions read
While Epic Games is still hush-hush over the specifics of the collab, online leaks suggest The Odyssey will be represented in Fortnite as visual cosmetics: branded skins (as in player avatars), accessories, and loading screens. Most of these will be accessible by playing in the Odyssey Cup, a movie-branded Fortnite Cup in which players compete in ultracompetitive matchmaking games for cash prizes and exclusive rewards
At first blush, there’s nothing remarkable about The Odyssey in Fortnite. It’s a big summer movie made by a director the Fortnite crowd knows well; of course there would be a crossover. This also isn’t the first time a Nolan film has cross-promoted with the game, in fact. Back in 2020, Tenet premiered its trailer in Fortnite, and there were “screenings” of Inception and Batman Beginsin the game too
And there have been eyebrow-raising crossovers before. Disney’s $1.5 billion investment into Epic Games means you can, for real, play as Maleficent and Jack Sparrow. You can also play as Bugs Bunny, Superman, Jason Voorhees, the Ninja Turtles, and Olivia Rodrigo. In 2021, “TIME Studios Presents March Through Time” invited players to walk the National Mall (combat disabled) and watch Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in full. I respect meeting young people where they’re at, but it’s nevertheless strange to hear a message of peace in a battle-royale shooter.
Which brings us back to The Odyssey. We’ll keep it spoiler-free as far as the film goes (never mind that the poem is 3,000 years old), but in many tellings Odysseus is racked with guilt over the sack of Troy. He cries during a feast while reliving memories of the Trojan War. Depending on which version you’re engaged with, Odysseus may not be weeping at the violence heincurred. But it is explicit that his feelings are akin to a grieving woman being sold into slavery after her husband is killed by invading armies. You know, what Odysseus literally did to Troy.
I will be the first to admit I’m dropping V-bucks the second Odysseus hits the Item Shop. I want nothing more than to do the Griddy over my fallen foes looking like Matt Damon, because I want to relish joy wherever I can find it in this world. I just wished I didn’t feel weird about it
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