July's Collabs Corner: Spider-Man in PUBG Mobile, David Beckham in Fortnite, and more

Among the updates, announcements and marketing drives for mobile games, this bustling industry sees a never-ending flow of crossovers and collaborations.

Some partnerships see characters from one game IP enter another. Others see brands or logos show up in unexpected places. And, there are some that take place outside of the game entirely, especially when a celebrity’s involved.

With so many games and so many crossovers, it can be hard to keep track. So, here’s a roundup of the latest collaborations happening on mobile. Stay tuned for more updates.

Learn about collaborations and marketing strategies and make deals at our Pocket Gamer Connects events, such as PGC Summit Shanghai on July 29th and PGC Nordics in Helsinki on October 20th and 21st.

Spider-Man makes an entrance

Slinging webs and taking down bad guys, Spider-Man is making his way into PUBG Mobile as Krafton crosses over with Marvel and Columbia’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Players can expect to climb walls, double-jump and dodge artillery with their new arachnid powers, meanwhile finding web holsters and grenades around the battlefield. In fact, they can get started one day before Brand New Day releases in theatres.

Heartopia gets even more colourful

Cosy life simulator Heartopia has taken inspiration from a familiar cast of characters via its collaboration with Sanrio. Bringing on board new items and outfits inspired by Hello Kitty animals My Melody, Cinnamoroll and Kuromi, players can now diversify their wardrobes and homes while looking particularly cute doing so.

There’s also a Sanrio vehicle collection and furniture sets from the Rainbow Cottage, plus stickers to collect from daily quests and trading.

Fortnite Icon Series scores

David Beckham has joined the Fortnite Icon Series, as one of the world’s best-known footballers and co-owner of Inter Miami CF. An in-game Beckham outfit features glowing tattoos, reactive "back bling" and a LEGO variant, plus a shirtless alternative.

Fortnite’s also brought in a Beckham-based shot emote.

"Fortnite creates new and exciting ways to connect with fans around the world. It's been great working with them to create something that celebrates my career on and off the pitch," Beckham said.

Gifs in space

Savy Soda’s Pixel Starships has brought aboard a wacky cast of characters from KennysGifs. From the cute to the unusual, players can expect space-based mischief from this collection of Gifs made by animator Kenny Mays.

One Punch Man’s next strike

NetEase Games’ Blood Strike has launched a crossover event with One Punch Man, the popular web comic-turned-anime series all about a hero who bests his foes with a single strike.

Now, Blood Strike fans can take on protagonist Saitama’s appearance and experience his mighty power, as well as encounter other One Punch Man characters like Genos, Terrible Tornado, Mumen Rider and Garou.

The collab runs throughout the remainder of July, giving players access to the rare Red Boxing Glove airdrop item, unlocking special abilities that can instantly best enemies and more in the One Punch event. Meanwhile, in EVO mode, every Striker’s main skill can take on an even stronger form.

A Fortnite’s voyage

The legendary story of Odysseus’ voyage home, facing the wrath of Poseidon for 10 long years after the Trojan War, might not have originally mentioned Fortnite. But, in 2026, with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey right around the corner, why shouldn’t he make a stop on one more island?

In this crossover, Epic Games is bringing skins of Odysseus and Agamemnon to its flagship. The content sails in on July 16th, coinciding with early previews of the new film.

The movie is set to release in full on July 17th, giving Fortnite fans a one-day head start to familiarise themselves with Homer’s work.

Reverse: 1999 finds a new history

Two new playable characters will soon arrive in Bluepoch’s time-travel RPG Reverse: 1999, as new story content whisks the cast off to the alternate history of Mundfish Studio’s Atomic Heart.

Arriving in Facility 3826, Reverse: 1999’s heroes will encounter the humanoid robot bodyguard The Twins and antagonist repair cabinet Nora. Players will also find themed cosmetics with a "retrofuturism" style.

For the first time, the collab will bring in a globally synchronised version update for Reverse: 1999, after typically running with a delay outside of China.

Shifting into gear with PUBG

Four models of Ferrari have raced into PUBG Mobile alongside a range of themed accessories like a Ferrari parachute and backpack.

The Ferrari Roma, Ferrari Purosangue, Ferrari LaFerrari supercar and the Ferrari SF90 XX Spider are all ready for players to get accustomed with. Likewise, they can customise their vehicles with a selection of original Ferrari rims, exclusive decals and brake calipers.

Players can also interact with a special in-map display of a Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 race car, triggering a special, immersive sequence in the process.

Honor of Kings goes anime

Tencent’s massive MOBA Honor of Kings is currently collaborating with Japanese manga series InuYasha, written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and adapted into a popular anime by Sunrise.

Until July 26th, players can obtain themed skins, backgrounds and spriteling, as well as take part in limited-time events and make matching outfits for male and female Flowborn.

Resident Evil Survival Unit gets monstrous

Resident Evil Survival Unit’s first-ever collaboration has landed, bringing new heroes and dangers to the battle for survival.

This collab with fellow Capcom-owned IP Monster Hunter sees male and female hunters join from another world, ready to face off against the Yian Kut-Ku and Monster Hunter mascot Rathalos for a limited time.

The crossover also introduced new customisation options, special event content and minigames inspired by the Monster Hunter series.

Brawl Stars gets sporty

With the World Cup underway, Supercell has kickstarted multiple collaborations across its portfolio.

Brawl Stars has introduced the Super Ball game mode and the Adidas Starr Cup, a two-week tournament where players can compete in daily matchups. This collab has first brought adidas branding in-game, before crossover Starr Drop apparel releases in real-life next month.

Clash of kicks

Meanwhile, the Finnish studio has been promoting Clash of Clans with an ad campaign featuring previous World Cup winners Thierry Henry, Kaká and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

At the same time, competitive seasonal event Clan War League received a special football-themed instalment.

Joe Jonas plays for Hay Day

The American songwriter Joe Jonas has recorded a track called The Cozy Anthem as a remix of Hay Day’s theme music, marking the start of a virtual music festival inside Supercell’s farming sim game.

Starting in mid-June, the song began to appear in every player’s farm with clickable music notes flying around the screen. A range of note-inspired decorations were also made available.

Mr Monopoly meets The Simpsons

Iconic Springfield settings and its cartoon residents have made their way into Scopely’s Monopoly Go, with limited-time episode sets every two weeks.

New Springfield-themed boards, minigames and a Simpsons Run character have also been added, with plenty of stickers and bonus rewards to be found during the crossover.

Naruto sneaks in

Starting on July 9th, PUBG Mobile players will be able to experience Naruto Shippuden’s environments, abilities and a special boss battle against The Nine-Tails.

Krafton has been working on this collab under the Naruto Production Committee’s supervision with themed character on the way based on protagonist Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Hinata, Tsunade and more.

Call of Duty’s new persona

Self-styled as "one of the biggest collaborations of the year", Call of Duty: Mobile is launching into Season 6 with a Persona 5 Royal crossover.

The Phantom Thieves are entering the game with suitable weaponry in tow, appearing in a themed mode called the Plunder Treasure Hunt. There are multiple waves of enemies to overcome, but players who make it to the end will find a treasure chest for their troubles.

Delta Force adds new colour

Team Jade’s Delta Force has joined forces with Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege for a collaboration of two well-known names in the squad-based shooter scene.

In their first-ever crossover, these two tactical shooters will squad up inside Delta Force starting July 10th.

Mobile Legends Bang Bang brings in Street Fighter

Bringing in the Street Fighter 6 IP, Moonton is set to give Mobile Legends Bang Bang players four new character skins in the next update.

Fans will be able to play, emote and compete as Ryu, Chun Li, Ken and Guile, with alternative outfits also available.

More games, more crossovers

HoYoverse and consumer electronics brand Ugreen are launching a series of Honkai: Star Rail products themed around popular game character Yao Guang. Goods include a magnetic power bank, a charger, a retractable USB-C cable and more, moving on to Honkai after a successful collab with Genshin Impact.

Meanwhile, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent has started celebrations for its Travelers’ Mid-Year Reunion Festival, with Final Fantasy VI characters showing up for the festivities.

AviaGames and the Argentine Football Association have teamed up for a Soccer Carnival in Solitaire Clash, another title making the most of the World Cup.

And, Ling Chai Hong Kong’s new mobile game Soul Land is bringing in the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime IP early, leveraging the light novel and anime franchise.