ShiinaBR, a prominent source of Fortnite news, made a big buzz returning old comic book characters’ skins to the store today which include skins like Isaac among others. Alongside was the tweet with a link to purchase the skins directly, a reminder of the support through the creator code ‘Shiina’, and a mention of the ongoing cycle of licensed content and mixed community reactions around the skins that are being recycled.
The store opened again with the same DC heroes and villains getting rotated. Once the rumor was out, ShiinaBR, who is pretty much the best source for this kind of news, tweeted the info along with the usual link and mentioned that their creator code was ‘Shiina’ – very smart, you really have to give community support when you are the one who makes the updates. The picture shows the usual suspects: Armored Batman, Catwoman, etc. Isaac also made it back which is a triumph for gamers who could not get him when he was first released. However, if you read the replies you will notice the community is reacting just like before.
Players have started commenting their wish lists and airing their grievances already. The comments section radiates with such vibes. One user, Handsome Jack, even goes as far as directly questioning why the same Catwoman and Armored Batman continue to appear in crosses—“Can u be more original fortnite they come back way two much space it out plz,” they said, which is actually very fair. It’s been getting repetitive at times, and it feels like there’s a rotation between the same skins. Another user, Ondys, also complains about the situation saying, “again the same skins… no black adam no wonder woman just same skins again and again.” The frustration is evident, right? It’s like, okay, DC skins, but what about those that we haven’t seen in a year?
Then there are the die-hard collectors and the optimistic ones. Eiji is longing for Black Manta. Brando_VA is calling for Black Adam’s return only for his emote, claiming that the DCEU is dead and thus the chances are slim—this is a whole different layer of meta commentary on licensing, wow! And then hellbilly gives a monstrous list of requests: “Zatanna, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Vixen, Lex Luthor, Cheetah, Supergirl, Lobo, John Constantine, Blue Beetle, Static Shock, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, Bane, and Darksied.” I mean, they have virtually the entire Justice League plus more outlined. It also points to the fact that there is a huge demand for different characters rather than just the same three or four.
And then the conversation goes on. Someone asks in French about Star Wars cosmetics (“Des nouvelles à propos de futur remis en boutique de cosmétiques star wars ??”), to which ShiinaBR didn’t even reply, but it just shows that everyone takes these announcements as an opportunity to ask about their favorite crossovers. Another user is anxious about his V-Bucks: “My v-bucks sleep.” A feeling we all share. And there is also a rather strange little thread where danihimuro is asking for more DC characters, tagging James Gunn and everything, and then other users are commenting about Netflix and movie releases. It is a mess, but it is the typical Fortnite Twitter mess.
Nonetheless, the most intriguing part is the statement from 2Worlds – Athletic VR FPS. They said, “DC skins always hit different. Smart play with the creator code – shows how powerful IP + community support can be for growth.” And they have a point. The financial side is coming out of the buzz. These skins are majorly sold. Linking a creator code is the modern marketing loop that ties the community influencer directly with the sale. Epic gets its share, the creator gets his share, and the players get to be Batman. But only if the players are pumped up, and the replies show that the hype for the regular lineup is starting to wear off.
There is also a practical inquiry from jl_abrams whether the Polo Prodigy skin is still being updated, to which another user, codex, advises them to ask once the weekly update is done. The response serves as a reminder that despite all the major crossover news, it is mainly the daily grind of cosmetic updates and item shop rotations that keeps the community’s interest – or frustration – alive.
So, what does this all mean? It’s yet another day in Fortnite. A major IP drop brings in a lot of attention but at the same time serves as a lightning rod for player feedback. The never-ending stream of DC skins will definitely generate a lot of noise and spend a lot of V-Bucks, but the active part of the community certainly wants Epic Games to let the comic book vault open and allow them to the deep cuts and to the characters that have never had a spotlight. This dynamic is similar to the surprise success seen in other gaming communities, like the players reacting to Expedition 33 on PlayStation, or the strategic moves by publishers such as Capcom making major titles available on Xbox.
