Fan-Designed Skins That Made It Into Fortnite
Fortnite is a simple but intricate game. Player’s drop into an island with the goal of being the last one standing. Along the way, they’ll build structures and battle their enemies with all kinds of wacky weapons and items.
At the heart of all of this, is the cosmetics. Cosmetics may be minor in other games, but they are a major part of Fortnite. Fortnite has redefined what it means to be a video game with their insane collaborations. Fortnite has partnered with Marvel, Star Wars, Travis Scott, and dozens of other major brands and celebrities. At this point, Fortnite is littered with hundreds if not thousands of different cosmetic items.
However, not all of these were built in-house. Epic Games loves to embrace their community. One of the ways they do this is by drawing influence from fan creations and suggestions. Every day, different members of the Fortnite community flock to Reddit and other social media to share their skin designs and concepts. Obviously, Epic Games can't use all of these ideas. But, there are a few lucky fans that have had their designs transformed into real skins in-game.
This article features many of the fan-designed skins players see roaming around today. We’ll go over who designed which skins and the unique stories behind their journey from concept to reality.
Click to enlargeTender Defender
The story of the Tender Defender is a sweet one. It’s one of those rare heartwarming stories that unites even the most toxic of gamers.
It all started when 8-year old Connor doodled up a Fortnite skin concept titled the Chicken Trooper. Connor’s dad, u/tfoust10, posted the artwork on the FortniteBR subreddit. The post went viral, and soon enough, Connor had a massive support group begging to turn Connor’s dreams into reality.
One user, in particular, u/Etsyturtle2, took his support to the next level. u/Etsyturtle2 transformed Connor’s doodle into fully-fledged concept art. Chicken Trooper’s prospects grew brighter and brighter.
Soon after, claw marks appeared on guns in the game and at certain points of interest (POIs) like Lonely Lodge. The teases continued to trickle through until finally, it happened. Epic Games released Chicken Trooper into the item shop under a new name: Tender Defender. Tender Defender went from a mere thought in an 8-year-old’s mind to an actual skin in Fortnite.
Click to enlargeAura, Guild, and Pinkie
Our next fan had not one, but three of their fan-designed skins make it into the game of Fortnite.
Reddit user u/fantasyfull first designed the duo of Aura and Guild. Aura and Guild are modern-day treasure hunters. Epic Games liked the designs so much that they pretty much copypasted u/fantasyfull’s concepts into the game. These skins were met with resounding approval. To this day, Aura is one of the most popular skins in all of Fortnite. According to a study done by @lucas7yoshi, Aura is the fifth most used skin in Fortnite.
u/fantasyfull did not stop there. u/fantasyfull went on to design Pinkie. Pinkie’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some will hate the skin, but others loved it. Regardless, It’s nice to see Epic Games support fans like u/fantasyfull who sink time into designing these amazing skins.
Click to enlargeBoxy, Boxer, Cozy Chomps, and Comfy Chomps
Following in u/fantasyfull’s footsteps, u/sharktoof has had four of their skin concepts rebuilt into in-game skins. u/sharktoof is responsible for Boxy and Boxer along with Cozy Chomps and Comfy Chomps. The latter consists of both a male and female model dressed up in shark costumes. Boxy and Boxer are as the name suggests. One boy and one girl decked out in cardboard box attire.
Players using any of these four skins have u/sharktoof to thank.
Click to enlargeRapscallion, Scoundrel, and Meowscles
Believe it or not, the muscular kitten featured in Chapter 2 - Season 2 was originally designed by a fan. u/RexSadio posted the design many months before it actually went live. Originally called “Buff Cat”, Meowscles turned into more than just a skin. Meowscles was one of Chapter 2 - Season 2’s bosses and had their very own POI and Mythic items.
However, u/RexSadio’s journey started long before Meowscles. u/RexSadio designed the Rapscallion and Scoundrel skins. Releasing in 2018, these criminal-themed skins were some of the first fan-designed skins to ever make it into the actual game of Fortnite.
It’s normal for fans to design skin concepts and other cosmetics for their favourite games. But, it’s not every day that the developers embrace these concepts and actually implement them in-game. So for that, shout out to Epic Games for their community spirit and congratulations to all of the awesome artists that had their dreams come true. Having your very own design make it into a game like Fortnite is nothing to scoff at. These artists will remember this moment forever.
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Images via Epic Games | u/tfoust10 | u/Etsyturtle2 | u/fantasyfull | u/sharktoof