By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
Shohei Ohtani is making history again - this time in gaming. The three-time MVP is the first-ever Major League Baseball player to be featured in Fortnite’s Icon Series, joining stars like LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Naomi Osaka.
Ohtani’s Fortnite debut aligns with the MLB Tokyo Series, where his Dodgers face the Cubs, maximizing exposure for baseball on a global gaming stage.
Players can access four outfit styles, including Dodgers home and away jerseys, a LEGO-style look for LEGO Fortnite, and the special Samurai Shohei skin, which reacts dynamically in-game by igniting Ohtani’s arm after eliminations.
The collaboration includes two custom emotes (“Wan-ko Home Run” & “Respectful Batter”), a “Trusted Two-Way” harvesting tool inspired by a pitching machine, and a bobblehead of Ohtani’s dog, Dekopin as an in-game accessory.
Why It Matters:
Fortnite is more than a game, it’s a cultural platform with over 650 million registered users and 60 million daily active players, making it an ideal stage for global brand exposure (especially the coveted demographic of 18-24 year olds).
This continues a wider trend of sports embedding itself in gaming to reach younger audiences where they already are. Manchester City, Wimbledon, and even ESPN have all launched custom Fortnite activations.
If you want to engage the next generation of fans, don’t wait for them to come to you, go to them, in their game, on their terms.
.png)
