Fortnite's new Let Them Know skins lets players show off their LGBTQ pride in the game in the form of football kits, proffering a pertinent statement on the controversies that surround this year's FIFA Men's World Cup.
To those who are unaware, it is illegal to engage in a same-sex relationship in Qatar and individuals have suffered under the authorities who punish them for expressing their identities and their love. "This World Cup will go down in history as an example of a country that hoped that the glamour of the World Cup would, in totality, sportswash a whole range of human rights abuses," said Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty, on the lack of attention that these events have had from FIFA.
Fortnite had crossed over with football before with skins of Harry Kane, Neymar Jr. and Marco Reus, for example, and hosted its own UEFA Euro 2020 Cup tournament in the game. Eurogamer noted that the new football themed Let Them Know collection doesn't specifically call out to any of the countries in the World Cup, whereas in the past, Epic Games has been able to secure licensing for official teams' strips.
"Let them know! Specifically, let the squad know what you’re all about," read the developer's announcement about the new content. "The upcoming Let Them Know Set includes ten Outfits based on the beautiful game, all of which you can personalize with multiple patterns and colors. Personalize your Outfit to a look that’s uniquely you - tons of different looks are possible per Outfit!"
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Of course, none of the wording explicitly refers to the World Cup nor to the situation in Qatar, but the first image you see of the Let Them Know kits shows a character in what looks like the bisexual flag colours. The vast level of customisation in the outfit lets players create all kinds of combinations to reflect transgender, lesbian, gay and nonbinary pride, and it's a cheering example of support for those who feel overlooked by the World Cup celebrations.
Topics: Fortnite, World News, no article matching