Fortnite’s long line of crossovers is often a selling point of the game. Through many deals, Epic Games has cultivated an impressive catalog of licensed characters for players to inhabit as they battle for a Victory Royale. FromStar WarstoNaruto,Fortnitehas become an increasingly successful platform not only for Epic to profit from but also for many companies and artists to advertise on.
One incredibly popular property that has made its way into the game is Netflix’sLeague of Legendsanimated series,Arcane, a show that follows sisters Violet and Jinx as they grapple with their fraught relationship amid the raging tides of a revolutionary movement. Following the show’s overwhelmingly positive reception from both critics and audiences, EpicbroughtArcane’s Jinx toFortnitealong with Violet. Now, witha secondArcaneseason in production, players may be able to purchase another fan-favorite character according to some leakers.
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Reliable industry insider @HYPEX on Twitter has confirmed from multiple sources that Mel, the Piltover politician and key character inArcane, could be featured inFortnite’s next Netflix collaboration. In a tweet, HYPEX states that, “according to 2 different sources that were correct multiple times,” a Mel skin is in the works. This is rather unsurprising giventhe popularity ofArcaneand her importance, not only as a rich and interesting character but also as a powerful Black feminist figure in media.
In the replies to the tweet, fan reception seems to be mostly positive, though some express disappointment with the news. Though Mel isa compellingLeague of Legendscharacter, many would rather see characters like Caitlyn, Violet’s rifle-wielding lover, come to the game. It’s difficult to argue with this point of view, as Cait plays a much bigger role in the show and is deeply entwined with the emotional rift in Violet and Jinx’s relationship. Moreover, her status as an Asian lesbian would bring some much-needed representation toFortniteplayers across the world.
Other players seem upset that, in a majority female-led show, some of the masculine-presenting characters are yet to make an appearance in-game. User JoJoJosiah_ttv points out that neglecting characters like Jayce, Silco and Ekko in favor of Mel is like bringingStar War’s Chancellor Palpatine toFortniteinstead of Darth Vader. However, Epic Games seems to understand that female-presenting skins are more popular than their male counterparts. Of the 20 skins that have made their way to the Fortnite Crew subscription, more than half of these have been women, while nine of the top 10FortniteTwitch streamers regularly use female skins in-game.
This announcement symbolizes the continued success ofFortnite’s crossover collabs, which will likely extend to many other shows, films and games well into the future. Moreover, it shows Epic’s dedication, and perhaps prejudice, to bringing skinny women from big intellectual properties to the game over characters with a variety of body types. Whatever the case may be, fans will likely see Mel, and perhaps moreArcanecharacters, come toFortnitewithin the coming months as season 2 heads to screens in 2023.
Fortniteis currently available for Android, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
