Fortnite is Doing a Collab with Expensive Fashion Brand Balenciaga, Bringing Fashion IRL, and in game.

Photo Credit: epicgames.com

By Zaki Abbasi

SAN JOSE, CALIF: Fortnite, a popular shooter gamer, has recently decided to do a large collaboration with Balenciaga, an expensive fashion brand. This deal occurred on Sept. 20, 2021. Together, they plan to sell hoodies/shirts that will advertise Fortnite. The price, though, is extremely inflated. 

Fortnite commenced on July 25, 2017. Fortnite is a battle-royal first person shooter game, meant for ages from 4 years and above, but its main age demographic is from ages 18-27, according to https://www.businessofapps.com/data/fortnite-statistics/.  Fortnite was voted among the top 11 most popular games of 2020, according to goodhousekeeping.com.

Fortnite has been on a recent decline from its 2018 status, of 78.3 million active users per month, according to gamesradar.com. It came to a steady incline in 2020, but in Aug. 2020, it was banned from Apple App Store. Apple App Store came to the decision when Epic Games became finicky in a money deal, according to The Hill. The ban was temporary, and suspended, after a few weeks. Simply put, by distractify.com, “While it’s probably too early to conclude that Fortnite is “dying,” the game’s popularity has definitely seen a steady decline over the years.”

Balenciaga’s primary objective is to provide “exquisite craftsmanship and innovative designs” according to vam.uc.uk. It’s also known for revolutionizing women’s fashion. 

Fortnite is advertising itself through Balenciaga by promoting 4 new in-game skins and promoting a line of Balenciaga clothing. Balenciaga is keeping with their trend of high-end and expensive clothing, hence the clothing is in turn economically inflated. The Balenciaga x Fortnite hoodie is a whopping $725. The fashion brand is also advertising a “Fortnite 2021” cap, for $325, and a large fit jacket for $1,290; straight from the Balenciaga website.

It’s safe to say that this collaboration between Fortnite and Balenciaga will interest many of those at SCHS. While it is a relatively old game, almost 65% of players are aged 18-24, according to businesofapp.com. While it isn’t the most popular game among highschoolers, it’s still discussed and played by many of those at school. This collaboration will have many students at Silver Creek, scrambling to get the expensive merchandise. 

An image of a google trends report on Fortnite’s popularity in the last 5 years. 

Diving deeper into the idea, Fortnite has been slowly declining. As all things do, Fortnite has had its own controversies. Fortnite was already banned from the Apple App Store once. A few more examples is that Fortnite is a Pub-G rip-off, and an addiction for children. Besides the point, Epic Games has been desperately trying to advertise Fortnite, whatever the way necessary, Even if they have to advertise expensive clothing, and risking going into the fashion line.