Fortnite has just launched a music collaboration with pop icons on board. The latest game update has brought a new Icon Series emote that is based on the track ‘If You’re Over Me’ by Mimi Webb and Meghan Trainor. That’s right; Meghan Trainor is back at the Fortnite store, and she doesn’t come alone. The tweeter HYPEX, who is usually reliable when it comes to leaks, shared a link to the emote where it was showing off its moves as usual and added the hashtag #EpicPartner. Excitement among the gamers has started swirling in the replies, like times related to Fortnite community chaos and confusions.

So what’s all this about? Fortnite has teamed up with the singers to make an emote, the creation of which partly depends on the song and partly on the presence of the artists. The deal is part of Fortnite’s ongoing project of hybrid icon series that licenses actual musicians and celebrities in the form of emotes or skins. The new item is currently stocking in the shop, and players can pick it up and enhance their collections with it. It looks like the trend of Fortnite gradually turning into a social hub, concert venue, or even an art gallery rather than just a battle royale is getting stronger. Remember the Travis Scott event? Or, perhaps, the Kid Laroi’s recent activities? This is just one more step ahead.

As for the players’ reactions, they were as usual— a nice mixture of total excitement and pure randomness. mtrainola just said “we will be buying,” and that might be the most direct response one could ask for. EmoJoshy1, on the other hand, had a mini-discovery: “Wait because why is this song so good? Found out this song exists because of Fortnite but Meghan Trainor ATE oh we will be streaming this bop.” This is the strength of Fortnite’s cross-promotion right there—opening the music up to a vast gaming audience.

Nevertheless, not all comments were optimistic about the music, and this is still the Internet. Some comments were absolutely silly. ConvictedTrader69 was mixing up Meghan Trainor with rapper Megan Thee Stallion, so he wondered if she was “that rapper who got shot by another rapper.” Others were quick to join in and correct him— nooodlejojo4 pointed out that it was actually “uh Megan Thee Stallion.” It escalated into a pretty bizarre situation. Meanwhile, another player, HER0_0F_HER0S, was pressing for “Where’s all might tho?” — pathos of the My Hero Academia character that fans have long been pleading to have as a skin.

Players who have almost found themselves very much into the Icon Series emotes have expressed their feelings from a very raw point of view. User hissclique was not discreet, saying, “I’M FUCKING CRYING 🥹 4 MEGHAN EMOTES IN 1 YEAR.” However, MAXSCOBELL had the opposite feeling saying “MEGHAN GETTING SO MANY EMOTES YESSS.” It is evident that a particular part of the Fortnite community considers collecting these music emotes serious fun. The excitement was not, however, shared entirely. Nono_Stimpy chimed in under someone else’s comment complaining about a different artist and lamented “And still no icon skin?? Like JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN ALREADY 😭😭.” This highlights how Epic Games’ strategy of periodically releasing collaborative music can also be a source of frustration among players who eagerly await their favorite icons to come.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the emote at hand. The video depicts a character dancing to the pop duet in a choreographed manner. It is aesthetically pleasing, well-timed, and totally the kind of atmosphere that Fortnite aims to produce. For 500 V-Bucks, as user Glocc3xx mentioned who labeled it a “fuckass emote,” it is a pretty normal price for these Icon Series dances. It is entirely player’s decision whether it is a worthy cause or not. Some players, like HeadhunterBoi, were choicey: “Okay this’s the only new icon emote out of the 2 I actually like.”

But wait, what was I saying? Ah yes, the general view. This partnership is another prudent decision by Epic. They are not only marketing a dance but also a moment, a fragment of popular culture that the players can own and use to communicate in the game. It is a real win-win situation, even if some gamers in the comments are still screaming that Call of Duty is better or asking for Bill Clinton skins for some reason (kudos to OGBlackWidowFan for that strange request).

So where does this put Fortnite now? Back in its usual spot: at the crossroad of gaming and mainstream culture. Every few weeks a new reason to log in appears whether it is a new map, a new weapon, or a new collaboration with a major PlayStation franchise.