Ed Sheeran Turned Down Fortnite Offer, Picked Pokémon Project Instead

Ed Sheeran turned away a deal from Fortnite. Why? He doesn't play it. The artist shared this in an interview that was posted last week.

His label pitched the idea of putting him in the game. Sheeran refused. He follows a strict rule when it comes to putting his name on things.

"They asked me to do something for Fortnite, my record label, and I was like... 'I don't play Fortnite,'" Sheeran said on the podcast. "I feel like whenever you see my face next to any product, I want it to be next to something I actually do."

The Shape of You singer talked about how he chooses partnerships. He mentioned working with Heinz back in 2019, which created limited-edition ketchup bottles they named Edchup.

"So ketchup, I f***ing love ketchup," he said. "Guitars, I play the guitars I [promote]... I think it has to be real."

Sheeran pitched a different idea. He plays Pokémon and wanted to team up with The Pokémon Company. Those talks produced his 2022 track "Celestial," complete with a music video starring Pokémon characters.

"So when my record company were like 'oh, we can put you in a Fortnite game', I was like, [I] don't really want to do that, but I do play Pokémon," he said. "So we contacted Pokémon, and that's why we did the song for the thing. I love Pokémon."

Other artists Sheeran has worked with show up in Fortnite. Travis Scott, who made "Antisocial" with him, has a Fortnite skin. Bruno Mars and J Balvin can be bought as character models, too.

One piece of Sheeran's work did make it into the game. Players can buy his track "Shivers" as a Jam Track and emote. That's where his ties to Epic Games end.

Big names have jumped into Fortnite over the past few years. Chappell Roan, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Eminem all appear in the game. Some haven't been shy about admitting they don't play it. Lady Gaga wrote "What's fortnight" on X in 2019, long before she became part of Fortnite Festival.