Celebrity collaborations are nothing new for Fortnite, even if they’re usually based on popular musicians or a long list of video game streamers you may never have heard of. Then there’s the newest collab, which sees Kim Kardashian joining the Fortnite universe as the latest entry in the Icon series.
Yes, that Kim Kardashian, the one the world has been keeping up with for years. At the end of last week, Epic revealed two highly customizable skins of the reality star, aspiring lawyer, and business mogul, who is currently starring on Hulu’s All’s Fair. The drop isn’t connected to the show, nor does it seem to be tied to Kardashian’s Skims line of shapewear, though the skins are definitely wearing clothes similar to those she sells.
More important than why they’re here, though, is just how good they are. Anytime Fortnite adapts a real person into a skin, the end result is typically the same. They do resemble the intended person, but through a cartoony art style that is decidedly Fortnite, often with less detailed characteristics.
The Kardashian skins do not suffer from that problem. In fact, they’re surprisingly detailed, down to the shape of Kardashian’s body and head and her signature hairstyles, as well as the makeup and fashion looks she’s known for. Put simply: Her skins are just so good. Why is that?
There are a few possibilities. For starters, she’s one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, and whether you’re a fan or not, you can conjure up a mental image of Kardashian right now. Such easily recognizable people are always going to stand out a bit more, especially one who hasn’t really left the public consciousness in over a decade.
Beyond that, though, it’s highly likely she and her team had final approval on the skin. After all, Kardashian herself is the brand being sold here, and it’s likely one she’s fiercely protective of. Beyond that, she revealed in an interview with Elle that her son, Saint, plays Fortnite. If his mom’s going to be added to the game, it had better be an excellent skin, right?
The other likelihood is that Epic Games is hoping to reach a different audience than those already playing Fortnite. This drop is aimed squarely at Kardashian’s fans, not Fortnite‘s. Why else would Kardashian be giving a promotional interview for the collab to a women’s fashion magazine in the first place?
With that in mind, it behooves Epic to spend a good amount of time on getting these skins just right if they want to ensnare a new audience. And it looks like they did just that. And that’s before the player customization.
There are two skins in the shop — regular and iconic — and each comes with tons of styling options. You get to pick variations of outfits and hairstyles, as well as accessories and the color of your clothing. You can truly create any Kim you want.
What remains to be seen is whether or not this new approach to collab skins — a bit more realism, lots of customizable options — is something that will extend beyond Kardashian. Now that this particular genie is out of the bottle putting it back in may be difficult. Let us customize every skin, will you?
Now pardon me while I go surf to the island and use the Slurp the Internet emote at everyone I see, the way Kim Kardashian intended it.
