Five things that Simpsons x Fortnite could have done better

As the Simpsons X Fortnite collab ends later today, there’s been plenty to like for longtime fans of the animated show, as well as players of Epic Games’ free-to-play battle royale. Launching on November 1 and ending with the ‘Zero Hour’ event in a few short hours, the mini-season has been a huge success, with roughly 2.5 million players daily, a rise of 700,000 from the previous month.

But as with many things, there’s always room for improvement. The Simpsons x Fortnite collab isn’t immune to this, with a bunch of opportunities missed, regardless of how good Springfield took over the Fortnite map over the month. With this in mind, we’re listing five things below that could have made the mini-season one of Fortnite’s very best.

Over the month, many characters have been made available to purchase in the Fortnite Item Shop, but nowhere near as many as fans were hoping to see. Krusty the Clown, Moe the bartender, and the in-universe cartoon Itchy and Scratchy have been available, but there could have been far more.

From one of the Stonecutters cult-members, to Smithers, Snake the robber, and others like Chief Wiggum and Principal Skinner. It’s a shame that more skins weren’t available to buy in this mini-season. In addition, the skins for earning all the Battle Pass rewards were Homer, as well as Homer covered in radioactive goo. It was disappointing, and there could have been a real opportunity for another character to be the reward, such as villain Hank Scorpio or Poochie.

Make no mistake, the transformation of Fortnite’s map into Springfield, along with the cel-shaded look to better reflect the animated show, has been impressive. Being able to visit places like the Power Plant, Kamp Krusty, and the Simpsons’ home and neighbourhood has been very fun. However, one can’t help but feel that there could have been far more places on the map that could have appeared throughout the mini-season.

For example, Itchy and Scratchy Land that appeared in season six, or the television studio that houses Krusty the Clown, the news reporter Kent Brockman, and many more, as well as Mount Splashmore from season two. All of these could have appeared after one of the animated shorts aired, complete with new missions and new characters to hire as support. Instead, we got the same map, but with purple radioactive goo towards the end, which left a few players feeling slightly disappointed.

Granted, there have been a couple of weapons, like Krusty’s Mr Blasty gun, as well as a few items made available as axes, such as the Homer Wonderbat from season two and an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon axe. However, one can’t help but feel that far more could have been made available from November 1.

From Homer’s Bowling Ball as a throwable weapon, to the Inanimate Carbon Rod, as well as Ned Flanders’ left-handed nunchucks from the season three episode, ‘When Flanders Failed’. There could have been many more rare weapons that could have lasted for the entirety of the Fortnite x Simpsons crossover. Instead, players could use four weapons inspired by the show, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Vehicles in Fortnite have been a huge feature of the free-to-play game since they arrived in August 2020. They’ve slowly evolved from being shopping carts and cars, to gunships and even the Power Rangers’ Megazord from the previous season. But for the Simpsons x Fortnite mini-season, to say there haven’t been many vehicles to use from the show is an understatement.

Like the lack of unique weapons, there could have been a plethora of vehicles to choose from. From the Plow King truck to the Canyonero and Chief Wiggum’s Police Cruiser, as well as the left-handed roadster that Mr Burns buys from the season three episode, ‘When Flanders Failed’, Epic Games would have been spoilt for choice here. Instead, players were limited to The Simpsons’ family car.

As we approach ‘Zero Hour’, it’s looking less likely that we’ll see new bosses in addition to what players have been fighting against, such as Krusty the Clown, Evil Homer, and Witch Marge. Each of these bosses offered their own challenge in how they attacked and could be found, but with just three to face, there were plenty from the Simpsons’ history that could have appeared for the mini-season.

From Hank Scorpio, featured in season seven’s ‘You Only Move Twice’, to Dr Colossus and his ‘Collosso-boots’, there could have been plenty who had the potential to appear across the Springfield map, each offering their own set of challenges and unique weapons to collect once they were defeated. Granted, there might be one more to face as Zero Hour arrives, but it’s a shame that there were no surprises to see across the month.

Fans of both The Simpsons and Fortnite have enjoyed this mini-season. From the map being completely transformed into Springfield, to watching the four animated shorts that link both the show and the game, it’s been a fun month, but there could have been more done in certain areas. Having so few vehicles and weapons inspired by the show to use feels like a big miss, along with a handful of characters to buy as skins that felt like an afterthought.

However, despite what could have been improved or what should have happened, there’s no denying that the Fortnite x Simpsons mini-season has been a huge success. Almost three million players have logged onto Fortnite throughout November, according to tracker.gg, which is an increase of almost 700,000 from the month before.