It’s been a raucous affair at Twitter lately as PlayStation dropped a tweet that was both baffling and funny at the same time. They unmasked a drawing of Bart Simpson alongside a vehicle with a license plate that read “Bort,” a name that reached its notoriety in the same episode of The Simpsons often called “Itchy & Scratchy Land,” where Bart can only get the Bortplate because all the good names have been taken. A caption read, “my son is also named Bortnite.” What? Bortnite? Like… Fortnite? Yeah, that’s pretty much an over-the-top combination of two famous things: the Simpsons joke and the game Fortnite. Replies immediately started pouring in… Oh my, the replies are nothing but a great mix of confusion, demands and people who understood the reference.
The very first thing was that a number of people were genuinely perplexed by the whole scenario. One guy posted, “@PlayStation What’s a Bortnite?” which was really a very reasonable question to pose if one is not very much into the meme culture or has not seen that particular episode of The Simpsons. Another user tweeted, “@PlayStation Kids under 40 will not get this deep-cut joke.” And probably, he is right. The Simpsons episode is considered ancient history for many gamers who still play Fortnite. It really is a moment of “how do you do, fellow kids” from PlayStation, trying to blend in with the younger generation.
On the flip side, however, there are the gamers who take this as a chance to express their desires. The requests for a Fortnite collaboration are coming in twist and swift. One user remarked, “@PlayStation Bring God of War back to Fortnite,” whereas another person begged, “@PlayStation Bring back the PlayStation gaming skins bro 💔.”It seems that there is a huge demand for more PlayStation-themed content in Fortnite. Someone even asked for a “PlayStation companion,” whatever that is supposed to be. And then, “@PlayStation Add Sackboy sidekick pls.” Just picture it, running around the map and having a little Sackboy following you? That would be pretty cool, I admit it.
Nonetheless, not everyone is having fun with the situation. One user made his displeasure clear saying, “@PlayStation instead of posting fortnite garbage why not actually add good games on ps plus?” Ouch. That was a strong statement. Some gamers only want their monthly titles and couldn’t care less about the crossover promotions. Then, there was a strange response: “@PlayStation They feed and shelter a great diversity of organisms, from the tiniest insects to the glorious grizzly bear.” Uhh…what? Not sure how that relates to Bortnite or Fortnite, but if that’s your thing, I guess.
The Simpsons component of the joke surely caused a lot of laughter. One user mentioned, “@PlayStation I don’t play Fortnite but I’ve logged on for the Simpsons update and it’s awesome. It’s just fun, which I think a lot of people playing or at least on here have forgotten that’s the whole point.” That’s a valid point. Occasionally we get so much into the meta and grinding that we forget the reason behind gaming is enjoyment. The Simpsons crossover might have brought back just a fraction of that pure, foolish fun into the lives of some players.
And naturally, the Twitter threads feature some of the people who totally miss the joke and take it literally. “@PlayStation No, my son is also named Bortnite,” replied one user in a jesting manner, continuing the bit. “Are you sure his name isn’t Bort Nate?” was the question posed by another user, which is a very reasonable alternative interpretation, I must admit. And someone else commented, “@PlayStation Seems legit. Bort is a very common name.” Of course, it is, my friend. Of course, it is.
A little console war teasing is even starting to show up. In one interaction, a person said that the Xbox gamers need to defend themselves and another person quickly responded that it is the other way around. The perpetual battle, even in a thread centering on a silly name joke. And another one throws shade saying, “@PlayStation I thought your kids were named PSP and Vita?” Ouch! That one probably stung a bit at PlayStation Headquarters.
What has happened is one spectacularly chaotic and beautiful mess of a Twitter thread. It has it all: misunderstanding, wants, kidding around, citations that some people are aware of and others are not, and even a little bit of rivalry between the consoles. It is a testament to the extent of the bond between gaming culture and internet culture; they are now completely intertwined. A reigning video game giant like PlayStation is going to make a reference to The Simpsons that could only be appreciated by a small number of people, link it with a game as widely accepted as Fortnite, and see, literally millions of responses.
