Let’s not beat around the bush. Fortnite has once again become the center of attention, but this time the nostalgia factor is much stronger and universal. The well-known leaker, BeastFNCreative, has stated that, as part of the Fortnite SpongeBob SquarePants crossover, the iconic ‘Sweet Victory’ song will be included as a Jam Track and specifically, a co-track for the Jams. Can you believe it? The song from the fantastical halftime show episode will be going to the game, you will be able to play it loud and dancing or relaxed building at the same time. For sure, the news is of such a nature that one would stop scrolling the feed just to ask, ‘wait a minute, is that true?’

For those who can’t keep up with it, the game developer Epic Games has a never-ending stream of unpredictable collaborations in Fortnite. You may take any character from Marvel superheroes to Ariana Grande. Nevertheless, the SpongeBob one had been waiting for a confirmation for some time, with data miners finding both the Krusty Krab and the Patty Wagon. But, having ‘Sweet Victory’ playable among the tracks? That means going to a whole new dimension of fan service. It’s beyond just a skin or a glider; it’s a part of the cultural history of the show. Certain players are expected to take the track either with the game’s Radio feature or with the new Jam Stage mode where one can jam, you know.

The internet was quick to respond, and honestly, the response was pretty amazing in its chaos. The gamers went completely berserk. One person, Nex_Gen001, immediately announced it to be their ‘new Victory Royale theme,’ which is essentially the same thing. Another individual, SeaStar456, simply uploaded a hype video and wrote, ‘WE WINNING,’ as a caption. The atmosphere is of pure and unrestrained partying. It appears that Fortnite is finally coming through with the request of the crowd, which is to have the song played in the game, well, ever since that infamous Super Bowl halftime show that didn’t play the song. User Zittle_Dalekbrn even threw a little shade, saying, ‘Something Football failed to do.’ That was pretty harsh but very true!

But then again, every leak comes with a set of questions. In this case, people are wondering if it’s the complete collaboration or just a teaser. User ArcherFN2ro bluntly put the question forward, ‘R u even gonna do skins for SpongeBob or r u gonna do like sonic,’ referring to the fact that Sonic was given only car-related cosmetics rather than full character skins. This concern is absolutely valid! Everyone wants to be able to play as SpongeBob or Patrick. User FrappeFizzyy was almost begging, ‘PLEASE have a skin or sidekick or smth & not jus this/the patty wagon.’ The craving for actual character skins is huge.

Then, the requests for songs came pouring in like crazy. Because if you’re gonna take one SpongeBob hit, why not all? The comment area was like a wishlist. ‘Can we also get ocean man and squeeze me?’ kdkj72377 wanted to know. ‘What about goofy goober? 👀’ was the astonishment of Elizabe79282222. ‘We want im a goofy goober,’ claimed WinterMiku01. It’s a whole feeling. The community is literally telling Epic, ‘You have opened the vault, now just take everything.’ There was even a user zappa_two who said that the original artist, David Glen Eisley, should be given proper credit, which is an excellent point that often gets overlooked in game crossovers.

The hype factor is not the only thing that gets people excited, as some may only want to have the experience of pure hype. User rexxgta described it as the ‘Peak SpongeBob song,’ and it’s really hard to argue with that. The track is nothing but an anthem. There are some others like user itsParniaa who just couldn’t help it and started singing the lyrics right in the replies: ‘SpongeBob big guy pants okay 🎵.’ It’s the kind of joyful, superfan, and even naive expectancy that makes gaming communities so fun to watch. Even the doubters have a little hope. User Cr4ftGolden was wondering if it would be a real Jam Track or end up being like the Sonic tracks which were somewhat limited. They just want to hold on to their belief.

So what is the conclusion? It means that Fortnite continues to be such a wild and diverse platform which is less a game and more of a digital playground. The SpongeBob collab particularly with ‘Sweet Victory’ is not just one more branded item. It is a love letter to a precise moment in pop culture that a certain group of gamers cherishes. It is the kind of crossover that seems natural and not forced. Many of these gamers are playing on PlayStation and Xbox.