We Need To Talk: Fortnite’s Hot Bat Summer

Game Overview.

Has Epic Games Started Chasing “Sex Sells”?

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an article titled We Need To Talk About Fortnite’s Steady Decline ↪, where I shared my concerns about Fortnite’s moral decline.

While it’s had player base decline occasionally, it’s still an amazing game. But it’s also had to face reality. The market is far more competitive than it once was, and Epic Games has had to adapt.

Unfortunately, I know that’s affected their monetization.

My Concern Isn’t V-Bucks

I’m not even concerned about the V-Bucks changes. What used to get you 1,000 V-Bucks now only gets you 800. Epic Games has been quite open that the cost of running Fortnite has gone up, and businesses have bills to pay.

No, my concern is that they’ve started leaning into something that, up until now, they’ve pretty much avoided.

The concept that sex sells.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s still Fortnite. It’s not going to turn into The First Descendant.

But I do think we’re watching Epic Games’ stance on the portrayal of female characters change, and not in a good way.

The Summer Holiday Skins

Recently, they’ve released their summer holiday skins of Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

And, to be honest with you, it’s another step towards sexualization, even more than they took previously with the release of Dylan, which, as I covered in my previous article, was the first Fortnite skin to actually feature a real bikini.

Previously, they had shorts.

Now, we have the first bikini bottoms.

Yes, it’s not a thong.

Yes, it’s not showing a massive amount of flesh.

But it still shows a little cheek, which is strange for Fortnite.

And in the case of Poison Ivy, not only do we get cleavage, but we also get a massive amount of underboob.

By Fortnite standards, it is quite the sight.

It’s Not The End Of The World, But It Is Troubling

Don’t get me wrong. The skins cannot be used in modes rated lower than PEGI 12, and it’s nothing children wouldn’t see on a beach.

But I’m concerned about how far Fortnite is going to go.

They have already seen the revenue skins like this have brought to other live-service games such as Marvel Rivals, which thrives on similar skins, and now they have experienced it themselves, with the Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn skins topping the best-seller list within hours of going live.

While everyone likes to make wheelbarrows full of dosh, Epic Games, and Tim Sweeney in particular, should really take the following into consideration.

It’s Only Pixels… Right?

• You may say it’s a non-issue.
• You may say it’s just pixels.
• And you may say it’s only skins.

I actually agree with two of those things.

• It’s only skins.
• It’s only pixels.

I can look at those skins and just see them as skins, maybe you can do the same, however there are are people out there who lust over these skins.

I won’t say where, but it’s surprisingly easy to stumble across communities online, even on Reddit, where people sexualize Fortnite skins.

These people have serious sexual addictions that even extend to Fortnite skins.

These new skins won’t help them.

You may say it’s no big deal.

Jesus said it was a big deal.

In fact:

You can believe what you want. However, I’m sticking with what Jesus says, as His words are far above the words of any other man.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, I’m disappointed.

Fortnite is still a fantastic game.

But I’m concerned about how far down this road Tim Sweeney is going to allow it to go before he puts the brakes on and realizes that Fortnite offered something that very few other large live-service games had to offer.

• A healthy portrayal of female characters.
• Very little sexualization.

And I’d love to see Fortnite return to that sooner rather than later.

Please Note

"We Need To Talk" is an editorial format used when there is a specific issue, trend, or topic that we feel deserves attention.

Because of this, We Need To Talk articles should not be viewed as representative of the length, depth, or overall format of our traditional review coverage.

Please Note

"We Need To Talk" is an editorial format used when there is a specific issue, trend, or topic that we feel deserves attention.

Because of this, We Need To Talk articles should not be viewed as representative of the length, depth, or overall format of our traditional review coverage.