Fortnite’s Latest Collab Highlights the Game’s Biggest Pro and Con

Eight years after the release of the Battle Royale mode that took the world by storm, collaborations have become a defining feature of Fortnite. The game’s official modes regularly incorporate crossovers from popular media, brands, and celebrities. After a Star Wars-themed mini-season, Chapter 6 Season 3 of Fortnite recently kicked off with a superhero theme that brought DC’s Superman and Robin to the battle pass.

As has become the trend with Fortnite, collaborations won’t just be restricted to the battle pass this season. Multiple new collabs for Fortnite have already been announced and released, including a brand-new icon skin. However, as Fortnite‘s roster of crossovers continues to expand, it raises an interesting question about the game’s identity and consistency.

Fortnite's Chapter 6 Season 3 Superman skin can be bought early.

Fortnite Has Made a Major Change to Its Battle Pass

Fortnite surprises players by revealing that it has made a major change to the battle pass in Chapter 6 Season 3 of Epic Games’ popular battle royale.

The Double-Edged Sword of Fortnite’s Collabs

The latest celebrity to receive an icon skin in Fortnite is Son Heung-min. The popular South Korean soccer player isn’t the only new collab coming in this season, however. New cosmetics based on Bob’s Burgers, King of the Hill, and The Cleveland Show dropped in the item shop this past Friday. Fortnite has also teased that it will be crossing over with Squid Game later this season. But with each new collab, Fortnite seems to be straying further and further away from the season’s core theme, as seen when looking at the latest batch of crossovers:

Son Heung-Min
King of the Hill
Bob’s Burgers
Cleveland Show
DC’s Superman (DCU)
DC’s Robin
Squid Game (Upcoming)

How Fortnite’s Collabs Do — and Don’t — Connect to Seasonal Themes

Ever since Deadpool became the first-ever battle pass collab skin all the way back in Chapter 2 Season 2, collaborations have been an integral part of each season. Often, these crossovers will relate to a season’s theme. Chapter 4 Season 1’s medieval season collaborated with The Witcher, Chapter 5 Season 3’s post-apocalyptic season collaborated with Fallout, and the current superhero season is collaborating with the upcoming Superman movie. However, as Fortnite‘s output of crossover content continues to increase each season, the majority of each season’s collabs have little to nothing to do with the overarching theme.

A lack of cohesion can be disruptive in a season. For example, in Chapter 4 Season 4’s heist season, many players were confused and even frustrated when Ahsoka Tano and Khaby Lame were revealed as prominent collaborations. Crossovers like this can make it feel like Epic is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Especially in instances when the random collabs are clearly only there to promote an upcoming show or event, it can take away the fun factor and make the new cosmetics feel like nothing more than a cash grab.

On the other hand, the variety of crossovers offered by Fortnite at any given time can go a long way in increasing player engagement. The influx of collabs means that players will never be lacking new content. On top of that, if certain players aren’t a fan of a given season’s theme, then at least there will potentially be some new cosmetics or events that they can have fun with in the meantime. Fortnite has also tried to find a middle ground in some recent seasons. Magneto didn’t really fit the post-apocalyptic vibe of Chapter 5 Season 3, so Fortnite gave him an alternate survivalist outfit that felt perfectly in line with the theme. Similarly, in the Japanese-inspired Chapter 6 Season 1, Fortnite added a Darth Vader Samurai and a Ninja Knight Batman skin to the game.

Collaborations helped Fortnite to grow into the industry titan that it is today, but for better and for worse, as more crossovers are added to the game, every season runs the risk of losing its own identity and becoming a random collection of pop culture icons. And to think that Donald Mustard almost didn’t allow any collaborations into Fortnite in the first place.