Fortnite Yu-Gi-Oh crossover arrives in the Item Shop, just not how you think

It surprises me that a massive Fortnite Yu-Gi-Oh crossover hasn’t swept across the island for a big seasonal update yet. Surely Yugi, Seto, and Jonouchi deserve a bit of love from Epic Games? Well, listen up, Fortnite players, because the time is finally here. You can head to the Item Shop right now to feast your eyes on the first-ever Yu-Gi-Oh Fortnite collaboration – kind of.

I’m going to let you down gently: it isn’t a full-on cosmetics bundle. No, you won’t find any Fortnite skins for Mai, Anzu, or Bakura. Not even a skin for Yugi himself. Instead, Epic Games’ latest team-up has more to do with your drip than the number of characters in your Fortnite locker. For sneakerheads, the debut of the Nike Air Max 95 Yu-Gi-Oh ‘Jounichi’ might be exactly what you’re looking for. If only Epic Games could get Jonouchi’s name right.

These are the first-ever cel-shaded shoes in Fortnite, and surprisingly, are debuting with very little fanfare. Just like the Batmobile, this fresh pair of Kicks is basically shadowdropping into the Item Shop. While it is a cool surprise for fans of Yu-Gi-Oh, I can’t help but feel it’s underwhelming to an extent. Hopefully, this is just the start of Epic Games’ relationship with Yu-Gi-Oh, as proper events and bundles could go exceptionally hard.

Based on Jonouchi’s Air Muscle kicks, the Fortnite version makes them more identifiable as a Yu-Gi-Oh collaboration by including the series’ logo on the bottom of the shoes. The real-life pair, which can set you back at least $2000 on eBay, doesn’t really scream Yu-Gi-Oh, unless you’re in the know. The packaging they come with, though, makes for a great showcase piece in anyone’s collection.

Strangely enough, Epic Games is also bringing Sonic the Hedgehog into Fortnite in the same way as Yu-Gi-Oh. While the blue speedster gets some Rocket Racing cosmetics too, the highlight of his arrival is also marked by new Kicks in the Item Shop. Are Kicks not selling well enough in Fortnite or something? At 800 to 1,000 V-Bucks per pair of shoes, I can understand why that might be the case.

I’m more inclined to buy Jam Tracks for 500 V-Bucks, which I can use across Zero Build, Fortnite Festival, Jam Stage, and the standard battle royale game playlists. Whether you get these Kicks or not, you can dive into the Megazord Rising update right now. It is a blast, but I’ve also been checking out how Fortnite Delulu mode is going, too. Whichever mode you play, just don’t forget to check for some Fortnite codes.