More of the RE crew are joining up with Chris and Jill.
Series favorites Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield are reportedly coming to Fortnite soon. Two reliable leakers have corroborated this info, so this is likely true. Fortnite accounts can have these skins along with the confirmed Attack on Titan Eren Jaeger skin in Chapter 4, Season 2. Though the latter will be available in the Battle Pass, Leon and Jill will be in the Fortnite Item Shop.
A Brief History of Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a long-lasting horror-survival franchise spanning 8 main games and several spin-offs. The games center around the experiments of the Umbrella Corporation, which understandably go out of control. This results in an epidemic of horrific mutations in the name of science. Usually, the series features a different protagonist in each game. However, there have been some continuations of their stories in later entries.
One example is Leon Kennedy, who first appeared in Resident Evil 2. He was such a popular character that he became mentioned in spin-offs and a playable character in two more mainline games: RE4 and RE6. He also appears in various RE movies and related media (series, comics). Even people who haven’t played a single game in the franchise would likely recognize him or know his name.
In the recent releases, Ethan Winters stars in two consecutive games: RE7 and Resident Evil Village. His story is more self-contained, but all the games exist in the same universe. This is exemplified by the existence of the Blue Umbrella Corporation, which Chris started to ‘redeem’ the organization to do good.
Speaking of Chris Redfield, he becomes playable in an RE7 DLC campaign and one story section of REV aside from being the first game’s protagonist. He’s also a character on the level of Leon, being a central part of the story of Resident Evil. He has appeared or been mentioned in several other games and spin-offs.
Claire is Chris’s sister, but she plays a more minor role. However, she shares the title of the most popular female RE protagonist with Jill Valentine. Ada may also be a contender, but she acts more like an anti-hero most of the time and has yet to appear as much as the other two in the main games.
It’s no wonder Leon and Claire would be the following featured skins in Fortnite from the franchise after Chris and Jill.
The Fortnite Skins
As mentioned, these two would appear in the Item Shop instead of the Battle Pass. They’re both priced at 1,500 V-Bucks and come with Back Blings. Leon gets an Attache Case accessory, while Claire has the RPD. Key. Also, Leon’s Combat Knife and The Umbrella Parasol Pickaxe will be available at 500 V-Bucks each.
Leon’s skin could have style options, such as his jacket from 4 or RPD Uniform. However, take it with a grain of salt. People have been speculating that Chris and Jill would be returning to the shop along with these two above. While it is very likely, this has not been confirmed yet.
Celebrate Resident Evil
While the skins’ availability starts in April, it is still close enough to the release of the RE4 remake on March 24, 2023. It’s almost as if Fortnite is banking on getting more players through the new wave of interest the remake will generate.
And it would work both ways. Fortnite players would become interested in Resident Evil, and RE players would play Fortnite. Also, with the expansive media presence of the franchise, even those who only read/watched about it could become interested.
Resident Evil has a dedicated fandom that’s growing even more with the new re-releases. Though they keep the same mechanics and storyline, it adds more to the experience. Sooner or later, there might even be Fortnite skins for Mr. X/Nemesis and/or Lady Alcina Dimitrescu!
As for Fortnite, it just keeps on getting wackier and wackier with the collaborations. Who’s ever heard of having a mega-crossover of people personalities, gaming protagonists, TV show characters, and movie heroes in one game? Fortnite also has its own cast of characters to join the chaos. The battle royale is just a crazy gathering of famous characters at this rate.
Anyway, that’s what makes Fortnite unique. Where else would you be able to play as John Wick fighting against the Predator? Or Spider-Man teaming up with Batman? Besides that, the building mechanics also shake things up, as it is something that not many other games have. This Battle Royale game really provides a unique experience to its players.
Have fun, and look forward to seeing Leon and Claire in your Fortnite account!
