Cars in videogames are nothing new, but it was practically unheard of for games outside the racing game genre to have any kind of manufacturer licensed supercar in it. When game developer Epic Games announced a collaboration with Ferrari for their game Fortnite back in July 2021, it was quite a surprise to many.
Although Epic Games was no stranger to collaborations having done partnerships with other franchises like Marvel, it was the first time they ever had a partnership with an official car manufacturer let alone one as iconic as Ferrari. I remember how much of a big deal it was when the news had come out because it was a partnership that no one really expected.
Basically, Fortnite introduced Ferrari’s 296 GTB model into the game as a drivable vehicle and also introduced a “Ferrari Bundle” that included Ferrari themed player reskins. The real life 296 GTB is a plug-in hybrid V6 with 830 horsepower, so quite a powerful car. Thanks to this collaboration, the Ferrari 296 GTB actually holds a few unique titles to its name, being the first real life car featured on Fortnite and one of the first licensed supercars to be featured in a successful battle royale game. I also have to give credit to the designers of Epic Games, because they got the car pretty much accurately.
Whatever one might think of this unexpected partnership, there is no denying it made a pretty big impact on both the gaming and car community. It was successful enough that a couple years later the Ferrari 296 GTB made a temporary return to the game in May of 2025.
Although quite a few collaborations have happened between real life car manufacturers and well known multiplayer video games since then, it was Fortnite and Ferrari that really showed that something like this was possible.
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