Fortnite is finally ready to show a little skin. Epic Games and DC have declared — seemingly evoking Megan Thee Stallion — that it’s officially Hot Bat Summer by sending Gotham City’s heroes and supervillains to the beach in revealing swimwear. On Tuesday, Epic offered a peek at a new DC Comics collaboration coming to Fortnite that’s raising eyebrows for its surprising levels of exposure.
And, no, it’s not because Epic and DC are finally releasing a topless Batman skin.
In artwork teasing Fortnite‘s imminent Hot Bat Summer, we see beach-ready bikini versions of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn being pursued by Batman wearing only his cowl, trunks, and flip-flops. Ace the Bat-Hound is also in pursuit, confirming Fortnite‘s latest Sidekick pet. While anyone who has paid attention to the type of summer-themed skins from competitors like Marvel Rivals and Overwatch won’t be incensed by Fortnite‘s decision to finally bring sexy swimwear, the reveal is still sending some players into a tizzy. Pearls have officially been clutched.
Fortnite, which is rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, has been notoriously tame with its cosmetics. Skins for characters like Mortal Kombat’s Kitana and Street Fighter’s Cammy have been blasted by fans of those properties for deviating from the games’ standard, heavily sexualized costumes. Kitana came to Fortnite wearing bike shorts, while Cammy’s exposed legs — and cheeks — were tastefully covered with black leggings. But it appears that DC is quite comfortable with its female villains and antiheroes wearing what regular human beings actually wear to the beach.
Still, it’s a surprisingly sexualized turn for Fortnite, according to some fans. “hmmmm yes its a really good choice to sexualise characters in a video game for kids,” reads one smarmy reply to Fortnite‘s post on X about Hot Bat Summer. “I never expected Fortnite to start showing underboob, that’s insane,” said a fan on the game’s subreddit.
Other Fortnite players seem happy for Epic Games to be a little less puritan, nearly nine years after the launch of Fortnite Battle Royale. Some are hoping that Epic will revisit past skins to make them more accurate, while others are simply thanking Marvel Rivals for setting the horny standard. Others blame (or credit) the success of the Kim Kardashian skins released last year for breaking the mold. Only a few have acknowledged Fortnite‘s most revealing skin released thus far…
Fortnite‘s Hot Bat Summer skins may be new to the gaming world, but DC’s superheroes and villains are no stranger to sultry swimwear on the comics side. DC Comics has released swimsuit variant covers for its comics over the years, including one that appears to have inspired Batman’s look in the Hot Bat Summer line of skins.
Artist Mikel Janín’s alternate cover for Batman #126, for example, showed Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle at the beach and appropriately dressed for the weather.
DC recently released a batch of swimsuit variant covers for series like Batman, Supergirl, Catwoman, and Lobo, and its distinguished competitor, Marvel, regularly does the same thing. Swimsuit covers have long been a staple in comics, as publishers lean into more lurid looks to draw in customers.
Regardless of the history here, Fortnite‘s decision to cut a little looser with its character skins is being seen by some as a desperation play. After Epic Games raised prices on V-Bucks, Fortnite‘s premium currency, slightly racier skins are being read as a naked attempt to spur sales. Whether the day-one outrage will harm Fortnite‘s reputation in the long run remains to be seen, but the initial reaction to Epic’s evolved stance is probably accurate: sex sells.