Fortnite has had soccer skins before, but the latest additions are a bit different. The World Cup 2022 is underway in Qatar, a nation that was the subject of much controversy long before the prestigious international soccer tournament kicked off. Qatar has often been scrutinized for its treatment of its laborers and citizens, especially those in the queer community. Now, the folks at Fortnite have found a sly way to stick up for the LGBTQIA+ crowd as the soccer games go on.
The Qatar World Cup is happening now, but just before the games began, the Let Them Know costume set was revealed on the Fortnite blog. Already, that name might get your attention — let them know…what, exactly? Well, there are 10 different Let Them Know outfits to choose from, and each one is a combination of pants, jackets, and scarves featuring Fortnite’s fan-favorite Supply Llama. Furthermore, the colors of each one can be customized to create “a look that’s uniquely you.” In fact, the blog post pushes this idea a few times, prodding players to recolor them. You can probably tell where this going now.
As Eurogamer points out, changing the colors of the Let Them Know costumes enables players to wear Pride colors. You can essentially dress as any of the various Pride flags, from bisexuals’ pink, purple, and blue stripes to the trans blue, pink, and white. You can see a nod toward the former in the image at the top of this article. While Epic Games never explicitly stated its intention with these skins, their free-form color pickers and lack of any corporate branding make it pretty clear that this is meant to be a silent protest.
The Let Them Know accessories aren’t quite the same, but they’re available in the shop now too. You can get the Top Trophy back bling, Fan Fervor emote, and World Class pickaxe. You can also earn a Go for the Goal spray by completing some soccer-themed quests from now through Saturday, December 3 at 3 PM ET/noon PT.
