Image: Mariah Carey/YouTube
Maddy Myers has run Polygon’s games section since 2020 as deputy editor. She has worked in games journalism since 2007, at Kotaku, The Mary Sue, and the Boston Phoenix.
Credible Fortnite leaks have emerged to suggest that Christmas queen Mariah Carey will be coming to the game as a skin in the game’s upcoming Winterfest event, wearing her classic red velvet, white fur-trimmed bodysuit from the music video for “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Snoop Dogg and Shaq are getting Christmas-y outfit skins as well, or so the news from prominent Fortnite leaker iFireMonkey suggests, with both wearing their own Santa outfits.
The 2024 iteration of Winterfest is set to debut in-game on Dec. 20. Snoop Dogg and Shaq are not newcomers to Fortnite; Snoop is the boss of the Doggpound, an area that’s part of the game’s Remix season. Shaq came to Fortnite in October 2024; he has two skins (Super Shaq and DJ Diesel), so the Santa version would be his third.
Pop star Mariah Carey would be a newcomer to the game, and what better time than Christmas to add her, given the inescapable nature of her beloved holiday tune? Leakers have also shared that Mariah will be emerging from an ice block that’s on the map, which — if it happens — is a reference to a joke popularized by the songstress in this video from her YouTube channel that depicts her as locked in ice all year until the winter holiday season begins.
As for whether or not Mariah will sing “it’s time” in her whistle register upon emerging from the ice block, we can only hope.