Fortnite's lack of LGBTQ+ representation sparks controversy on Twitter

Over the last few years, Epic Games has ramped up its efforts to make Fortnite a more inclusive place for players from all walks of life. In 2021, they unveiled the Rainbow Royale seasonal event in-game, which celebrated Pride Month.

Despite it being a month later than the actual real-world event, it was still a good initiative by the developers. However, things soon turned sour as certain individuals verbally attacked the developers and LGBTQ members of the community.

With the support of veteran leakers, influencers, and Epic Games, most of these 'haters' were reprimanded for their actions. In 2022, Rainbow Royale was once again held in the month of July and lasted until September. While this initiative was welcomed by some, others didn't feel the same way.

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"Weird that Fortnite's only LGBTQ+ rep is collab skins"

Despite Epic Games trying its best to make Fortnite feel more inclusive, some individuals are of the opinion that Epic Games is not doing enough to make a difference. Despite Rainbow Royale lasting for over a month in 2021 and roughly 20 days in 2022, it didn't do all that much. One user by the name of trapcardhideri wrote:

"Don't "Rainbow Royale" me bc (because) they only added sprays with similar color schemes to the progress flag, not any actual flags, and called it a day. The only actual LGBT+ part of that was Dreamer, which loops back to my original point."

For those unaware, Dreamer is the first transgender character in Fortnite. She was added during the Rainbow Royale event which occurred in Chapter 3 Season 3. But going back to the user's point, they stated that the developers didn't add any Pride flags to the game. They just made do with color schemes.

While it is true that no actual Pride flag was added, stating that representation was limited to only one skin is not true. Several users pointed out that Dreamer was not the only LGBTQ+ character present in-game.

Others such as Toni (non-binary), Joy (created by DahjaCat who identifies as He/They), and Chica's Icon Series skin (who identifies as bisexual) are all present in-game. This was another talking point on which the original commenter spoke about. They said:

While Epic Games does not spell it out in black and white, the identity of the skins in question or how they identify in-game has not been hidden. Epic Games uses pronouns as and when needed for certain cosmetic items. If the community indeed misidentifies certain skins based on how they look, the developers never intervene or state otherwise. It is open to individual interpretation.

One user summed up the situation by stating:

Another user chimed in and provided more constructive feedback on the situation. According to them, briefly introducing an LGBTQ+ character in Fortnite is better than building the character around that one aspect.

All things considered, while the original commenter's point did have some face value, Epic Games is trying its best to be more inclusive. While the process may be slow, it is moving forward steadily.

With the game developers adding more user-made skins in-game, the level of representation might increase with time. While one may argue and state that this should have been done sooner, an active effort is currently being implemented.

Lastly, with Epic Games not forcing the definition of characters, players are free to assume the gender of each character in Fortnite. One user summed up the entire fiasco by saying:

All said and done, more representation is expected to be added to the game over time. If the active effort is met with backlash, however, there is a possibility that things could come to a grinding halt.