A new Fortnite character named Joy, notable for her fancy roller skates and vitiligo skin condition, has been revealed. The new addition to the game's roster was apparently submitted as a concept by a fan and chosen by developer Epic Games for inclusion in the game. Joy's inclusion in Fortnite marks the game's first character with vitiligo, a long-term skin condition that causes patches of skin to lose their pigment.
Fortnite is known for featuring a ton of different skins, many of them allowing gamers to play as characters from throughout pop culture. However, others skins are just original designs drawn up by artists for potential inclusion in the game. Back in May 2021, dozens of Fortnite skin concepts were leaked from an official survey conducted by Epic Games. The survey, meant to gauge player interest in various skin concepts, included such unique designs as a humanoid piñata and a squid monster.
One of the Fortnite skins leaked back in May, a rollerskating girl with vitiligo designed by Twitter user DahjaCat, is now being added to the battle royale shooter. DahjaCat designed an original character named Dalia, who has now been added to Fortnite as a character named Joy. The unique design sports vitiligo, a skin condition that creates white patches across the character's dark skin. Joy also comes equipped with rainbow suspenders and roller skates in order to display her pride.
While many fan-designed skins make their way into Fortnite, the game also frequently receives skins based on pop culture icons. A skin of popular Latin music artist J Balvin was recently added to the game, allowing players to fight as the famous musician. The Colombian star's colored hair, arm tattoos, and colorful necklace make him stand out amongst Fortnite's already colorful collection of characters. The J Balvin skin even includes a unique emote, "In Da Getto," which features a song from the American musician Skrillex. The rare Icon Skin can be bought from Fortnite's shop, or players were able to win the skin won by competing in a cup on August 24.
Fortnite's inclusion of Joy as a playable skin is an important milestone for inclusivity and diversity. Those with vitiligo are rarely represented in video games or other media, so DahjaCat's skin marks a big step for the skin condition's presence in popular media. With a pair of roller skates and a rainbow aesthetic, Joy will bring a unique and fun design to the battlefield of Fortnite.
Fortnite is available on all platforms.
Source: DahjaCat/Twitter