UNIVERSAL CITY, CA – Universal Pictures has announced that Gru, reformed supervillain star of the $4.4-billion Despicable Me franchise, will be joining either Fortnite or Call of Duty as a playable character, but cannot confirm which at this time.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to combine our flagship Illumination IP with one of the biggest brands in gaming today,” said Universal Pictures spokesperson Michelle Mansfield before rifling through loose files on her desk. “And I would love to tell you all about that brand once I find the licensing paperwork.”
As of the release of 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, the five-film franchise remains the highest-grossing in animation history, edging out the six-film Shrek franchise from fellow Universal subsidiary, DreamWorks Animation.
“It’s a natural fit,” said Illumination in a press release this morning. “Gru wouldn’t be the world-renowned mad genius he is without his signature arsenal, including such fan favorites as the Jelly Gun, Inflation Gun, and Fart Gun. Now Minions everywhere can step into his Gucci boots and carry on the Gru legacy with a sniper rifle of indeterminate realism.”
Sources within the studio requested anonymity, but couldn’t fully explain why. Most recalled seeing concept art around the office depicting the character wielding an FN SCAR-L Mk2 assault rifle with a wry smile, but weapons resembling that particular model appear in both the Fortnite and Call of Duty franchises. Questions as to the validity of the art were met with a common refrain, summarized in a comment from a tired-looking character modeler: “Buddy, we’ve rendered a lot of Grus.”
After another hour of desktop shuffling and several terse phone calls, Mansfield said the character was “probably” headed to the more cartoonish Fortnite franchise.
Since its launch in 2017, the free-to-play online game has accrued an active player base of 250 million players monthly and over $20 billion in revenue. One of the chief forces behind that success is the brand’s willingness to collaborate with known quantities in pop culture, often available as character skins for in-game currency known as “V-Bucks.” These range from household names (Spider-Man, Boba Fett, John Cena) to properties with a distinctly adult appeal (Family Guy, Creed III, Martin Luther King, Jr.). But that doesn’t rule out the possibility that Gru answered the Call of Duty.
The military first-person-shooter series, no slouch as the fourth best-selling video game franchise of all time, has shared many of the same crossovers with the competition. Both multiplayer mammoths have included playable characters from Evil Dead, Dune, and The Walking Dead among others. When reached for comment, the unnamed PR representative who answered the phone at publisher Activision Blizzard said, “Sorry, we got a lot going on right now,” before hanging up.
Fortnite publisher and developer Epic Games kept similarly mum on the possibility, with CEO Tim Sweeney only volunteering, “Sure, I’d buy that.”
Mansfield did recall that the unspecified deal was timed to coincide with the July 3rd release of Despicable Me 4. “So all gamers should keep, um, refreshing their games this summer and Gru might just show up where you least expect him. Will. He will show up.”
No word yet on whether he will be joined by downloadable Minions or banana-themed cosmetics.
