Collaborations In Gaming Collide In February And March 2024

Disclaimer: 
This is a listicle that features the trailer for one collaboration that contains elements of horror, including unsettling imagery, one moment of brutal violence involving a stabbing/shooting and one depiction of execution by hanging. Another featured trailer contains strong violence, including blood, gore and one unsettlingly graphic stabbing. Reader discretion is advised. 
 
Partnerships can be quite compelling, making two organisations validate one another. It would be advised to not take them for granted and ensure that there will be a full-on agreement before going ahead as Flora and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty had an argument on what colour my current manicure should be, resulting in it being both pink AND blue [11]. You may recall some effective collaborations in gaming in 2023, such as Barbie’s special guest appearance in an event in Candy Crush Saga that helped promote her live-action adventure to the real world and Bumblebee from the Transformers franchise becoming a football team member in Rocket League [38] [52]. Others were...quite bizarre to say the least, most notably Peter Griffin from Family Guy in Fortnite: Battle Royale and the crossover between Cult of the Lamb and Don’t Starve [24] [50]. There are more collaborations in gaming to consider this year after the launch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ participation in three different gameplay genres of Fortnite [51]. Furthermore, I shall elaborate on these partnerships before we wish our inklings and octolings the best of luck in painting new stages with new weapons in new gear during the Spring 2024 Fresh Season in Splatoon 3 [35].

I have mentioned that overreliance on third-party participants can affect overall creativity but there have been many that seem to have been done right and at least more made sense than mediocre experiments like Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory [48] [50] [51]. Four new collaborations seem to be new examples of that and shall be explained along the way just after the launch of the expansion of Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass known as “Side Order” [34]. [48]

Lady Gaga’s special guest appearance in a brand-new season of Fortnite Festival’s first [13] [14] [15]! The first season began with the likes of The Weeknd and Eminem in December 2023 [50]. And wow! A second season already? As uninspired celebrity endorsements can be if they seem to be done in a…less than effective way with the negative reception of “Lisa Goes Gaga”, the final episode of the twenty-second season of The Simpsons being a notable example [39] [42], this new event in Fortnite Festival seems more passable with vibrant graphics as the talented and sensational Lady Gaga herself is seen performing on stage during the gameplay that is inspired by the Guitar Hero series [13] [50]. A list of songs by Gaga to perform includes:

•       “Born This Way” [13]
•       “Rain On Me (Ft. Ariana Grande)” [13]
•       “Just Dance (Ft. Colby O’Donis)” [13]
•       “Bloody Mary” [13]

I am also quite curious about how well can Gaga pull off the role of Harley Quinn in a sequel to Joker that will cause chaos in cinemas this October and I do not doubt that there will be many comparisons between her performance and how Margot Robbie handled the role before she became the flawless live-action incarnation of Barbie [3] [4] [6] [19] [20] [43] [44]. 

I’m gonna play some...Fortnite! 
Season Two, I’m ready for more [14]! 
Gaga will sing in...Fortnite... [15]
Play to try and earn the best score [13]! 
P-p-p-play some! P-p-p-play some! 
P-p-p-play some Fortnite [25]! [14]

If you are more of a rock music fan and get a thrill out of interactive survival horror, consider the members of Iron Maiden’s deal with Dead By Daylight right up your spooky alley [9]. New skins for Survivor consist of T-shirts like the one you may find in a merchandise shop at a gig and what my fiancé would wear. The Legendary Outfits for The Oni, The Deathslinger and The Dredge are gruesome and the pharaoh attire for The Doctor is quite like something from Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris [46]. Even though a celebrity endorsement can, as previously mentioned, be quite uninspired, the event in Dead By Daylight in honour of Iron Maiden’s legacy as a rock band is quite a fitting one as many of the band’s songs are ideal for a Halloween concert and Dead By Daylight is a survival horror game that allows a player to be either one of the four victims...or the one villain yearning to slay them [9]. I still suspect that the younger and more emotionally vulnerable incarnation of Lara Croft from the Survivor timeline of the Tomb Raider franchise could appear in a future Dead By Daylight event as a Survivor [50], even after the remaster of the original trilogy from the second half of the ‘90s that was launched on Ms. Croft’s birthday [37]. 

Dead By Daylight! 
Dead By Daylight! 
Survivors hide in fear as the lurking killer’s near! 
Dead By Daylight! 
Dead By Daylight! 
Who else will make a guest appearance if they dare [22]? [9]

Aside from two celebrity endorsements, there will be a new suit pack to purchase for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 this March [21] [29]. The sets of the attire for Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the Spider-Men are designed by two artists from Gameheads, a non-profit organisation that provides support for young people who are passionate about technology but do not feel represented enough in the industry. As an expert in lived experience of being autistic who is aware of how underrepresented and endangered autistic women can feel [26], especially if they consider themselves gamers [4] [40], I am always up for helping the underrepresented feel a lot more represented in today’s society. The two colourful suits nicknamed “Fly Suit” and “Fresh Suit” appear to be in the style of fashion a ‘90s kid would dream of and the pack will also include ten new stickers and two new frames for Photo Mode [29]. As cute as the Shadow the Hedgehog suit is for Classic Sonic as free DLC for Sonic Superstars that came out over a week ago [41], the upcoming suit pack for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 shall provide some cool new attire for each Spider-Man two weeks before my birthday [29].

Ironically enough, these looks for Peter Parker and Miles Morales as the Spider-Men will be released after the launch of the revival of the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother [23] [29]. Quite a nice logo for a revival that is as colourful and patterned as Peter’s Fly Suit and Miles’ Fresh Suit…but looks can be deceiving if nothing is learned from the past [10] [21] [23]. But you know what is not deceiving, especially in the present and near future? A competent association with supporting an underrepresented crowd of people passionate about technology [29]. If you consider yourself a fan of the arachnid duo, be sure to check out the first issue of Spectacular Spider-Man the day before these two suits and so on become available to purchase for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 [28] [29]. [21]

Now that we have seen a partnership between an organisation for something I fully support and Marvel’s most iconic character [21] [29], will a comic book star from DC be in one too? Well, Peacemaker, otherwise known as “Christopher “Chris” Smith” shall be a competitor in Mortal Kombat 1 [7]. You may recall Peacemaker’s appearance as a secondary antagonist in The Suicide Squad and his role as the protagonist of his own spin-off series played by John Cena [8] [44]. Of course, this is not the first time a character from DC has been a battler in the Mortal Kombat series as you may also recall Joker’s special guest appearance in Mortal Kombat 11 [7] [31]. As you can see in the trailer, his attacks include firing bullets with his pistol and thwacking with his shield [7]. And do not forget about Eagly, his companion who is indeed an eagle and can be summoned for a quite special attack, as brutal as it is. The fatality Peacemaker commits near the end of the trailer is insane! So much for being referred to as “Peacemaker”! As tough and patriotic as he can be [44], Mr. Smith will become a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1 the day before two new suits for each Spider-Man can be purchased [7] [29].

Coincidentally enough, both John Cena and Margot Robbie played the roles of two DC characters and two residents of Barbie Land and both Barbie: The Movie and The Suicide Squad are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures [3] [4] [5] [44]. As for Peacemaker’s guest appearance in Mortal Kombat 1, the latest entry of the Mortal Kombat series published by Warner Bros. Games, early access to it will be available in the premium edition or the Kombat Pack in a few days [7]. And keep an eye out for Janet Cage later in March…but not literally! [7]

It sure is crazy how the second season of Fortnite Festival began with Lady Gaga and an event in Dead By Daylight featuring Iron Maiden began to rock in a horrifying way on the same day after the announcement of Gameheads’ partnership with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and during the announcement of Peacemaker becoming a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1 [7] [9] [14] [29]. How the later seasons of The Simpsons relied a bit too heavily on celebrity guest appearances may be an example of how uninspired a celebrity endorsement can be if it is not handled well [17] [53], but if you are a fan of a certain artist’s music and a certain video game franchise, the two of them combined could leave some swell impact on you [7] [9] [50]. Aside from these partnerships, the forthcoming remaster of Epic Mickey for the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, the PlayStation 5, and Steam seems like a rebrushed rehash featuring enriched graphics [16] [32] [36] [45]. The battle between blue and pink may be on during the 65th anniversary of Sleeping Beauty [1] [11], but hopefully, there can be new Dreamhouses and Mojo Dojo Casa Houses for the Barbies and Ken who adore blue over pink in Barbie Land as Barbie: The Movie continues to be victorious [5] [47] [49]. Speaking of preferences, which of these four discussed collaborations would you consider the most impactful [7] [9] [14] [29], fellow gamer?

Aside from intriguing crossovers, there ought to be plenty of room for properties to keep excelling on their own accords as I am excited for Princess Peach Showtime! launching on the day after my birthday and yearning to see the next episode of Helluva Boss titled “Full Moon” later this year [18] [33]. And speaking of excelling on your own accords, here is my advice to a former fellow gamer and writer I would give them if they had never lashed out at me and cut ties with me over an opinion eight years ago; refrain from writing any more hit pieces and publish and market a novella that could be a compilation of old but swell fanfictions of theirs converted into a new property, much like how a Twilight fanfiction titled “Master of the Universe” was converted into the Fifty Shades trilogy [2], going by a pen name on the way to redemption [2]. Lastly, I hope some of my fellow hazbeans have a blast at this year’s LVL UP EXPO in Las Vegas this April [27] [30]! [33]

References

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Glamourous Gaming Within Promoting Barbie: The Movie

Barbie: The Movie is one of the most hyped films of 2023 with a lot of food-related promotions and so on for marketing it quite memorably and it is in cinemas right now [7] [17] [50]! I adored Barbie and owned quite a lot of Barbie dolls when I was a little girl. Moreover, I fondly remember playing Detective Barbie in The Mystery of the Carnival Caper and Secret Agent Barbie for the PC back in the day [41] [70]. In the present day, I see a lot of potential in the live-action film based on her legacy starring Margot Robbie (who also played the role of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad and Birds Of Prey [12] [61] [67]) and Ryan Gosling (who also played the role of Sebastian “Seb” Wilder in La La Land [32]) as it must be what the notably flawed live-action Bratz film from 2007 could have been [14] [16] [74] [76], according to some mixed to positive feedback so far [33] [36] [45] [56]. Reflecting on the insane number of promotional events for Barbie: The Movie [7] [11] [17] [50], we gamers have acknowledged a few gaming-related ones [8] [27] [68] [71]. Following my current obsession, let us go party like a gamer in honour of the film’s release while our simmers care for horses in The Sims 4: Horse Ranch [1] [65] [66].

I feel like my childhood has been combined with my adulthood when discussing these gaming-related promotions for Barbie: The Movie [9]! [74] [76] I could smile so much that my cheeks will start to ache as if I were Tour Guide Barbie from Toy Story 2 [64]! Please keep your arms, legs and controllers inside the car and no flash photography. Thank you. [74] [76]

Let us start stylishly with the designs of an Xbox Series S and faceplates for its controller that were revealed in June alongside a collection of dolls based on the characters in the film [6] [77]. For a limited time, the console with a simple but stunningly bold design can be won on Microsoft Rewards with biddings being given to Save the Children in honour of gender equality for the youth [6] [77]. The five designs of the faceplates for a controller that are also prizes for participants are [76]: 

•       A striking hot pink colour [35] [52] [71]
•       Another lovely shade of pink, but with a pattern of little white flowers [35] [52] [71]
•       A colourful tie dye pattern based on Barbie and Ken’s tie dye outfits in the scene that resulted in a meme that trended on Twitter [35] [40] [52] [71]
•       A black and white pattern based on Barbie’s iconic swimsuit from 1959 [4] [35] [51] [52] [71]
•       A white tassel pattern below two white flowers on a coat of black [35] [52] [71]

A mean gamer can use one of the pink controller faceplates on Wednesdays [13] [42]! It is believed that the faceplates and console promoting the new Barbie film are to help the Xbox Series X|S appeal more to young women, even if they are only a limited number of them available for a limited time [6] [71] [76] [77], but regardless of gender, lucky winners can game on with them. 

Separately from the console, the faceplates come in a box with two Hot Wheels toys based on the pink Corvette and GMC Hummer, a compact mirror that resembles a flip phone from the 2000s and a tube of magenta lip gloss from NYX [35] [52] [76]. How the console even comes with its own dreamhouse to be nicely placed in is an impeccable touch [6] [71] [77]. [6]

Speaking of Xbox Series X|S, a few other surprises came along. An update for Forza Horizon 5 that was released a month ago featured a pink 1956 Chevrolet Corvette based on the one Barbie is seen driving in the main Barbie trailer [2] [57] [74] [76], much like how the sixth level of The Simpsons: Hit And Run had a hidden car in a similar colour and style that can be found at the top of Planet Hype [69]. And I thought the Royale from Mario Kart DS was glamourous, especially for those who love to race as Princess Peach [47], but who said only gamer girls would love driving in the pink Corvette? Surely, the Pink Panther would love to steer it in style [49]. There is also a 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup inspired by Ken with a vibrant lightning-like pattern on the side available for the game [68] [71]. Outside of gameplay, a diverse collection of ten special edition dolls wearing Xbox-themed and Forza Horizon 5-themed T-shirts and hoodies, including one in a wheelchair and a pink-haired one with a prosthetic leg can be won by fans [71]. Both vehicles will be available to claim in Forza Horizon 5 until this mid-August and the dolls are also a stylish source of promotional value [68] [71].

The dream in FR5 seems real, 
Like getting onto Sheila’s Wheels [54] [55]! [87]

There are not enough words to describe the importance of diversity and representation. A little more on that claim will be expanded on later. [71]

Over a week ago, a collaboration between Barbie and Stumble Guys began [53] [58]. The designs of Ken and the two Barbies who might as well be nicknamed “Malibu” and “Brooklyn” as legendary stumblers in the game’s art style are cute and quirky in an interpretation of the iconic dreamhouse [3]. Ken and one of the Barbies are also seen coated in a purple colour palette in the trailer [58], quite like a version of an Among Us micro figure from a blind bag being completely coated in gold or a tint of green that glows in the dark [63]. They, along with the other Barbie in a sparkly purple palette are available as mythic stumblers to purchase with enough Barbie tokens that are basically the iconic “B” as in-game currency [53]. Some previous collaborations include the one with Hot Wheels back in December 2022 and the one with the raving Rabbids back in March [59] [60], which makes me believe that Stumble Guys might, unfortunately, rely a little too much on crossovers for relevance and popularity like Fortnite in the near future [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [34]. Nevertheless, now that it is available on consoles [75], our stumblers shall strive through bizarre obstacles with Mattel’s bombshell and possibly some more third-party guests later this year and two [53] [58] [59] [60].

C’mon, Stumbles! Let’s go rumble [53] [58]! 
Ah-ah-ah-yeah [1]! [58]

I know what some of you are thinking. The Barbie-themed event in Stumble Guys is not meant to help market and promote Barbie: The Movie as the main doll franchise’s logo is used and none of Barbie’s outfits from the film are worn in the trailer and the event [53] [58] [72], but since it started during the amount of marking for the film [53] [58], it could still technically count as part of marketing it during all the hype. See the style of the logo on the blonde-haired Barbie’s printed all over her top and skirt [72] [74]? [58]

Between the 13th and 20th of July, there was a sugary collaboration with Candy Crush Saga [8] [20] [22] [27], much like how there was an event in the game promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 over a year ago [18] [19] [23] [62]. The cartoony interpretation of Barbie’s movie appearance nailed Robbie’s elegantly structured face to a T [8] [20] [22] [27]. It was utterly adorable how Barbie and Tiffi cosplayed as one another in the SS23 announcement video [20], much like how Hello Kitty and Isabelle from the Animal Crossing franchise dressed up as each other on a poster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons [46]. During the event, there were Barbie candies to collect through Barbie quests [22], much like how Barbie tokens are collected in the collaboration with Stumble Guys [53]. Based on the premise of the film [74] [76], the goal of the event was to help Barbie get to the real world, as hinted in the trailer for it [22] [27]. Surely, Candy Crush Saga is so 2012 and 2013 to some of us [39], but I have nothing against those who still find it relevant and rather addicting ten years later, especially if there happen to be some cute and colourful crossovers for promoting a new film [8] [18] [19] [20] [22] [23]. Is anyone up for some pink candy later [21]?

Adorable peppiness overload! [20]

Barbara Millicent Roberts has been an icon for sixty-four years and is now a quirky live-action movie star learning about how the real world works [4] [9] [36] [56] [72] [74]. Despite the criticisms and controversies surrounding her throughout the years [43], she is still adored by doll collectors and primarily young girls today [11] [37]. There are several female video game characters who would seemingly fit in Barbie Land (at first), such as Princess Peach from the Super Mario franchise, Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw and Catherine from the game with the same name [24] [25] [47] [48] [73]. Aside from that, these gaming-related promotions for marketing Barbie: The Movie are rather outstanding on their own accords [27] [58] [68] [77]. As an autistic woman who loved Barbie as a child, I would be delighted to see an autistic Barbie doll with some respectfully accurate features, such as ear defenders [37], quite like how we were introduced to a Barbie doll with Down syndrome a few months ago [5]. It will not be long until I go and see Barbie Quinn and Ken Wilder travel to the real world and have their mugshots taken [12] [32] [40] [61] [67]. You can be anything, whether you love Barbie or consider her not your thing [44] [72] [74]. No reference to Burdine Maxwell from the Bratz animated series intended [15]. 

Aside from how excited I am for Barbie: The Movie [74] [76], a high-definition remake of Secret Agent Barbie or a direct sequel to it would be an enlightenment [10] [70]. A slightly more easing sound effect for those lasers would be deeply appreciated. [10]

As for the new film based on the plastic beauty’s legacy, I hope Robbie’s experience in playing the role has left a positive impact on her [9] [74] [76], especially after witnessing Harley Quinn break the fourth wall at the beginning of the trailer for the fourth season of the animated series with the same name [12] [26] [61] [67]. Just look at that beautiful pink Warner Bros. emblem! [74] [76]

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