Fortnite has cemented their position in the music industry for a few years now. Very recently, they held an in-game event with musicians Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Juice WRLD. These musical events help both Epic and the artists, and that’s why this next round of rumors is pretty surprising.
As shared on Twitter by HYPEX, a new rumor has come up that Hatsune Miku will soon be coming back to perform in Fortnite. This rumor has led another account, Wasting_Night, to ask online:
“Miku is absolutely replacing the next Fortnite Festival act because NewJeans had a corporate implosion isn’t she?”
For those of you hiding under a rock, NewJeans is a 4th generation kpop group that debuted in 2022. With only a few singles under their belt, NewJeans has already gained international fame and blockbuster success.
Epic Games has yet to confirm that NewJeans was lined up to get a Fortnite Festival event of their own, but the people who are claiming Hatsune Miku is coming soon also predicted NewJeans would be coming to the game.
Now, getting your own Fortnite Festival event means you will get an in-game concert, you will be represented in game as skins players can acquire, and your music will be added to the game. So, it’s not quite the same as winning a bunch of music show awards, but this would have still been a notable achievement for the group.
However, earlier this year, they got embroiled in a scandal surrounding their producer, Min Hee-Jin. Min Hee-Jin was also named CEO of NewJeans company, ADOR, itself a subsidiary of HYBE. Now, HYBE and Min Hee-Jin have been feuding in public, which culminated in Min Hee-Jin resigning from ADOR and HYBE, followed by NewJeans announcing their departures as well.
Here’s where things get complicated. Because NewJeans did not talk to ADOR before announcing they would leave their decision rests on a shaky foundation. ADOR themselves have taken to court to reaffirm that their contract remains valid, therefore NewJeans should still be working for them.
At least two kpop industry organizations (Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association and Korea Management Federation) have pointed out that NewJeans’ choice can cause unintended harm, not only to the direct parties involved, but the entire kpop industry. The contracts kpop idols sign with companies are partnerships between the two parties, and this move is considered a serious breach of trust.
OK, so what does all of this mean for video games? If ADOR had their way, NewJeans should still in fact get their Fortnite Festival event, as they want to continue doing business as before. Epic Games may not have been told to stop the event, since ADOR would have set it up, and they would have been set to profit from it.
If there was a NewJeans event that was cancelled at the last minute, it’s possible that it was Epic Games who chose to cancel it. They would have to worry about who to pay and who to talk to, and it seems prudent for them to just avoid the whole issue altogether.
Given that all of these were rumored, it’s possible for Epic to cancel this whole NewJeans event without even confirming that they planned to do it. As for the choice of Hatsune Miku, we will just have to see if that turns to be true before we even speculate on why it was a supposed chosen replacement for it.
Now we know kpop stans might feel frustrated that we aren’t getting in-depth into Min Hee-Jin’s and NewJeans’ controversy here, but this really isn’t the place for it, and it would simply take forever to recap. For those curious, we recommend videos from YouTuber HYBE BOY here and here for the latest on that situation.
It’s really not every day that a video game could get affected by a music industry scandal, but Fortnite is just big enough that this probably won’t even be the last time it happens.
