The Fortnite leak and the streamer HYPEX have brought a new cosmetic package to the game that includes the ‘Crowne’ skin and a pair of sneakers, all for 800 V-Bucks, at the Item Shop. The Twitter message that linked to the shop and included a creator code started an early debate among players regarding the skin’s originality and cost, with many of them directly comparing it to the Grimoire skin. This particular drop highlights yet again the very contested matter of pricing of cosmetic items and character design reuse within the Fortnite community.
Well, HYPEX has announced the skin – Crowne, the very first one which got the whole Twitter with loud replies. What is immediately noticeable is the price – only 800 V-Bucks for the skin and the shoes! This is almost unbelievable at the current rates in Fortnite. Agent EON, the next to comment, labeled it a “W” right away and, you know what, maybe they are right. But then if you take a look at the picture Skin Grimoire comes to your mind instantly and the whole thread of comments is just flooded with a discussion about re-colors and the value of Epic being greedy. It is a lot.
Many replies say the same thing: “It looks like a recolor of a previous skin,” Krispy comments. “Another variant of my favorite skin Grimoire?” Flurpledur wonders. And VictoriaFrost just states “So little changed from Grimoire…” which is an honest way of describing the whole situation. The design overlaps are really hard to miss if the player knows even a little of the original skin. It is the same sorceress theme, the same basic shape. It is like they copied Grimoire’s homework but just used another color scheme. Which, hey, sometimes that’s all one needs to come up with a cool new look, but the players are not so generous about it.
That’s when the real drama starts. Because some gamers welcome it with open arms! UseramuY replied to Flurpledur saying “Half the price and better than last one? W for me 🤣”. So there is a crowd that thinks of it as a clear upgrade – it is the same style and you pay less V-Bucks? That is a bargain to them. But there is also the opposite camp like ND_MAC who is absolutely furious: “I want a refund for the other outfit. That one is an alter style made into a different outfit very easily. Epic is so greedy for no reason.” Ouch! That is quite a strong position. The rage is that this should have been only one more edit style for the original Grimoire skin, not a full purchase. It is the eternal Fortnite dilemma: when is a new skin actually new?
Sneaky Snowshoes are also a hotspot for discussion! mandy♡ says “they should’ve gave the shoes as a winterfest present,” which, fair enough, Epic does enjoy a free gift. And Invigorating jolt has the funniest mental picture: “Can’t wait to be full boxed by a Peely wearing fresh Sneaky Snowshoes.” That is the real Fortnite experience – getting totally owned by a stylish banana.
The most astonishing thing about reading these replies is how quickly it turns into everyone asking HYPEX about EVERY other skin in existence. It is like as soon as an established leaker posts, the floodgates open. “When tate mcrae skin?” Mike asks. “What about giannis antetokounmpo’s skin hypex, is it coming back?” Gabriel says. “Wheres catwoman zero vro? 67?” Baggy demands. Somebody is asking about Raven Team Leader, another person about Plantina, another about Winter Skye, and my personal favorite, “What about adventure time” from Meowtooth. It is a complete Q&A session where HYPEX is just trying to show one new thing. The guy just revealed a skin and has gotten 30 questions about unrelated collaborations. That is the life of a Fortnite insider, I guess.
And then there is the unexpressed yearning of BABBYKRONK: “Just realized there hasn’t been any leaks in almost two weeks, has been pretty quiet. Need the next update to happen already.” This is the real vibe, isn’t it? The Item Shop rotation is good and all, but players are hungry for the next big thing – the next season, the next mythic, the next game-changing update. A new skin bundle is like a little snack, but the community is waiting for the main course.
What does this all imply? The Crowne skin drop is a perfect depiction of the Fortnite community in 2026. On one hand, there is the excitement over new cosmetics, the sharp-eyed criticism of perceived “lazy” designs, the ongoing battle royale of opinions, and the constant demand for more content on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
