This Christmas, Mimi wants emancipation once again. Mariah Carey—that is, her digital double—is reportedly encased inside a block of ice in the battle royale video game Fortnite, and she will soon emerge with gay apparel for players to don.
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On Wednesday, players of the popular online shooter logged on to find the island transformed into a winter wonderland in preparation for Fortnite’s upcoming Winterfest event. Along with traditional festive updates like snow and candy canes, players noticed a mysterious giant ice block. “Something pretty cool has appeared on the map,” the game’s official Instagram account announced.
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According to Fortnite leakers, that ice block contains Mariah Carey, and when she breaks out, she’ll come with her own character skins along with emotes and unique animations. That means if you’ve ever wanted to roleplay as Mariah Carey sniping hapless cartoon characters in the bushes, now’s your chance.
As the news comes from leakers, it’s technically an unsubstantiated rumor at this time. But according to IGN, at least one leaker, @iFireMonkey, has been a source of credible Fortnite leaks in the past.
Another account, @Egyptian_Leaker, offered more details. Supposedly, Mariah Carey will emerge in 3 days time (from Wednesday) in a mini-event involving fireworks. Afterwards, the chart-topping diva will be available as an NPC handing out gifts to players during matches.
If the rumors are true, the block of ice is likely a reference to Mariah Carey’s tour announcement video published on Halloween of last year. The video shows the “All I Want for Christmas Is You” singer encased in a block of ice being melted by a group of masked Halloween ghouls. She eventually breaks out to announce an end to spooky season and the beginning of the holidays.
Rumor has it, Fortnite’s Mariah Carey character skin will come with a similar ice breakout animation players can use.
Fortnite’s Winterfest 2024 event is scheduled to kick off December 20 through January 7.
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