Matt Damon Is In Fortnite Now, But He Was Almost In His Own Game Way Earlier
Matt Damon is making his video game debut this week with a skin in Fortnite based on his character Odysseus from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film adaptation of The Odyssey. However, the actor’s digital presence might have arrived over a decade earlier under very different circumstances.
In 2008, the action game The Bourne Conspiracy was released, based on the film series in which Damon starred as spy Jason Bourne. According to a 2021 interview Damon gave on Sean Evans’ Hot Ones, he was originally intended to lend his likeness to the game and was offered substantial compensation to participate. Rather than a simple licensing deal, Damon’s involvement would have marked his first official video game appearance.
Damon ultimately rejected the offer for an interesting reason that reveals his perspective on game design. He expressed concerns that the project was “just a first-person shooter” and hoped for something more cerebral—comparable to puzzle-adventure games like Myst—rather than a straightforward action game. The developers were unwilling to pivot the game’s core design to match his vision, and the project proceeded without him.
The Bourne Conspiracy ultimately released as the action-focused game Damon had anticipated. His participation in video games remained unrealized for years until now, over fifteen years later, when Damon’s virtual likeness finally appears in Fortnite—bringing his gaming cameo to one of the world’s most popular games, though under quite different circumstances than originally planned.