The holiday season is here and that means Winterfest has arrived at Fortnite, heralded by the very essence of Christmas, Mariah Carey. The battle royale MMO celebrates the holidays every year with the annual Winterfest event, which rewards players with fun limited-time experiences and gifts. This year's Winterfest goes above and beyond, delivering not only a fun event but also skins, and perhaps the most Christmassy brand-new playable character.
Winterfest 2024 brings Mariah Carey to Fortnite, where she will other celebrities like Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, Tom Holland, Eminem, and many others. Like with previous holiday events, this Winterfest gives players plenty of free daily gifts, themed quests, a snowy setting, new Christmas outfits, and more. The event is officially underway today and will run through January 7, 2025.
Mariah Carey's Arrival In Fortnite Officially Begins The Holiday Celebrations
She Literally Brings Winter To The Game
Mariah Carey has 15 studio albums and over 88 hit singles, but the world today knows her for one song, and one song only: All I Want for Christmas Is You. The singer/actress seems to have embraced this and fully plays into the persona of the embodiment of Christmas. Carey has been memed online in recent years, with people jokingly saying that singing the song makes her more powerful and summons her at Christmas time, like some urban legend. The Fortnite trailer that introduces Carey into the game, posted on the official PlayStation YouTube channel, takes this quite literally. The iconic singer thaws out from a chunk of ice, coming alive and singing the song that she is very well-known for to bring on the holiday spirit in Fortnite.
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The trailer shows Fishstick and several other Fortnite character skins frolicking about and enjoying a beautiful fall day. Until that is, Fishstick spots one single red leaf falling to the ground. The moment picks it up, the muffled first notes of that well-known song start to play. And just like that, with just one dead leaf, Mariah Carey and her backup dancers appear on the scene like magic. She literally stomps on fall (in the form of an ear of corn) and transforms everything and everyone into a winter wonderland. It's a delightfully ridiculous trailer that fully plays into the meme and has fun with it.
Our Take: Fortnite Is Becoming Meme-Central
The Game Is A Cross-section Of Internet Culture
Fortnite seems to have its fingers on the pulse of internet culture, playing around with what's currently popular or funny. Adding Mariah Carey to the game is a hilarious nod to seasonal memes surrounding her, and a perfect addition to the title. Carey looks right at home amid other celebrities and somehow even fits in with the strange creatures that populate the Fortnite character roster.
The combination of characters and skins is part of what makes the game so eye-catching and memorable. The title can take it to extremes, though, as YouTube chillvibedp8437 points out in their hilarious comment: "Explaining the current state of Fortnite, 'Mariah Carey can headshot Goku with a shotgun, proceed to perform the griddy with Kratos of Sparta and Deadpool, all while skibidi toilet dances on her back.'" The vibrant cast of playable characters is just part of what makes Fortnite such an iconic part of the world of gaming and online culture.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube, chillvibedp8437/YouTube
