As Fortnite has issued a new update, it is titled as “D4VD”. D4VD’s appearance Fortnite teased with a small statement saying “Me and Fortnite got something come up for you real soon.” which surprisingly caused a lot of speculations within the gaming communities as soon as it came out.
Hold up. Who’s D4VD?? This phrase was the first response a lot of people gave on the matter. Both the statements “Who’s this?” and “Literally the first ever and in the same breath saying who?” were flooding in, which almost felt like there was a collective amnesia. As people started showing up with knowledge of him, they also clarified how he is an artist that apparently began creating music because of Fortnite, which if true, is really cool. Also, his music is apparently good because of the countless comments pushing people to check him out on YouTube.
Recently a shocking monolith emerged on the map, and it had been previously stated that the location would become a concert venue. This collaboration is most likely related, maybe to a live event or something in-game. It genuinely makes sense to me as one player mentioned, “That has to be for the monolith on the map since it’s confirmed to be a concert!!!.”
No skin is going to drop from this event, that’s the question on everyone’s mind. The majority of people are hoping that a skin will drop. There were some insightful, well-thought-out ideas mentioned in the replies as well. One user talked about a D4VD skin with multiple styles—romantic homoside and Petals to Thorns outfits, both with and without the “jacket on/off,” and summer uptown style. Back blings called Romantic Vinyl could switch tracks, and a “lethal earbuds” pickaxe with a flail animation was included. At the very least, that is very creative.
The “pay to lose” culture and hitbox issues. At least some of the Fortnite community doesn’t want to see a skin because of these. An example being: “Nah, the hit box on that forehead be sending us to the lobby too quick,” another remarked. “Pay to lose,” and these “unique character models” always come with controversy.
The “festival” stoking concern seems much more relevant to the mode still running, but some users are pleading “Please not festival we want a girl for the next season…,” which is wild knowing what Epic has planned. Something that does seem like a safe guess is jam tracks—several comments mentioned specific songs, one in particular saying, “SLEEP WELL WORTHLESS AND THE BRIDGE AS JAM TRACK,” which did sound somewhat particular.
The hype is absolutely genuine. Phrases like “FUCK YES” and “I’m copping this as soon as it drops in shop” suggest people are raring to use their V-bucks on whatever this turns into. You, too, can lose an exclamation mark in love, one super fan wrote “THIS MAN IS MY BIGGEST INSPIRATION I LOVE YOU D4VD,” and then again a slew of people agreeing this partnership will gain its own fanbase.
The marketing is genius. It Fortnite collaborations help expose artists to new audiences. Fortnite community, unfamiliar with D4VD, will most probably search for his music, whereas those who know him will have the chance to see their idol in their favourite video game. Honestly, it’s a win-win situation.
This might also be related to the encrypted cel-shaded skin that’s been in the news. Someone wondering, “Could he be the encrypted Cell shading collab skin??” commented, and that would surely be quite a change of look. Another stated that without cel shade, he could have styling, giving choices for different tastes.
Fortnite’s responses with these anime-like personalities, musicians, and movie characters show their openness to new business opportunities, but these D4VD collab sets are not like the ones with established public figures, and I believe this is a sign that these people are acknowledging what is being listened to in music and not just the hugely known previous musicians.
Although it’s stated “coming soon,” and nothing has been shared, one can assume that they usually release an update or two after, so check the in-game events and item shop since we are commenting in the dark. This could surely be another instance where Fortnite turns into something cultural as opposed to just a game. On a side note, Fortnite’s fort always offers an addictive liquefied space with irresistible elements. Undeniably, fans await the revelation of this D4VD collaboration.
