‘Have you ever tried this one?’ Sabrina Carpenter makes ‘Fortnite’ debut, sparking memes, dance parties

Pop star and Bucks County native Sabrina Carpenter has made her video game debut. The “Espresso” singer stars in Fortnite Festival Season 8, the newest addition to the popular multiplayer game franchise. And since its Tuesday launch, Carpenter’s cameo has inspired a slew of new memes, dance parties, and more.

The Festival series is a special edition from the Fortnite universe, with Guitar Hero/Rock Band style activities, performances, and the ability for players to perform together. New Jam Tracks within the game include Carpenter’s “Juno” and “Nonsense.” Previous Festival seasons have featured headliners including Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish.

Carpenter’s inclusion in Fortnite, however, isn’t centered around just a concert setting. She’s also a playable character, actively folded into the game as a “skin” players can wear (for those uninitiated, it means a player’s avatar can resemble Carpenter with prepopulated looks). And the resemblance is pretty uncanny.

The infusion of thousands of faux Carpenters into a game has sparked some silliness.

In Fortnite Festival Season 8, players still engage in combat, typically using guns and other weapons in battle royale mode. The goal is to be the last player standing. But as more and more players don Carpenter’s looks — which are inspired by her real-life “Short n’ Sweet Tour” outfits — players are forming alliances, and in some cases starting bands, instead of fighting each other.

Along with her outfits and accessories, Carpenter’s skin includes a series of “Emotes,” the animated actions or dances players can use to express themselves, which resemble some of her signature dance moves from tour.

In turn, players — even when they’re supposed to be playing against each other or fighting — are just forming dance circles and vibing.

Fans are posting edits of dance battles and performances within the game across TikTok, making the term “Fortnite Sabrina Carpenter" a trending topic on the video platform.

“Being friendly with other Sabrinas in the game is healing me,” one user wrote. “IF YOU SEE ANOTHER SABRINA PLS BE FRIENDLY!!!!”

And it appears Fortnite is in on the bit.

The franchise wrote that “dance-related stalemates are on the rise since [Carpenter] arrived in Fortnite. BR [Battle Royale] is all vibes now."

Fans say the infusion of fun within the game is what makes Fortnite so special.

“This right here is why I love Fortnite,” one player said on Reddit. “Out of all the online games I’ve played, the fact that this game has silly emotes and a rotating character pool that the community gets into makes for unique moments like this, that I’ve never seen in any other game.”

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Carpenter revealed that she hadn’t played Fortnite before her collaboration with the game, but she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to connect with her fans in a new way.

“I’ve always found it exciting for fans to be able to interact and engage with music through different art forms and to interact in a way that’s genuinely fun,” Carpenter said. “So, for the fans that haven’t been able to come to the tour, or to any new fans, this is such a special way to still be a part of Short n’ Sweet world.”

The Inquirer reached out to Epic Games, Fortnite‘s parent company, for comment but didn’t hear back as of publication time.

The Sabrina Carpenter Fortnite Festival Season 8 Music Pass is available through June 17 and has 58 levels and 30 rewards, ranging from Carpenter’s outfits to special tour-inspired guitars. Fortnite is free to play and available on Windows, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Fortnite Festival Season 8 Music Pass can be purchased for 1,400 V-Bucks or $11.99.