A superb comeback.
Fortnite reacts to critiques by selling a ‘dead game’ shirt.
An epic comeback, it’s what you will.
There is a meme that impacts almost all games that actually grow enough, and the biggest endure the most. Look at the comments when League of Legends, CS: GO, or (especially) Fortnite tweets out some patch notes or a new addition to the game, and you’ll find the same two words over and over: dead game.
As with any language that gains this much traction online, trying to decipher the meaning of the mantra and symbolism is practically impossible. The literal meaning should be a game with really no significant player population, which would be stagnant and will shortly shut down the servers. Even so, the phrase “dead game” is used to describe the most vibrant, populous, and frequently updated titles released.
The phrase is used both humorously and as a rebuke, and will appear regardless of the specific announcement: Fortnite could announce tomorrow that it will be giving every player $100 for free, and the first reaction will most probably be ‘dead game.’
While I no longer expect myself an active Fortnite player, I continue to admire Epic’s ambition in broadening and going to add to this world. And now, with all of its reach and resources, it has turned around and, with a straight face, has begun selling a character skin with a shirt that says ‘dead game’ (thanks, Polygon).
The ‘Checkered Past’ package includes this skin for the player character Veronika, and you’ve to admire her braggadocio. It’s also flagrantly cheap, likely to cost just 600 V-bucks and including black nail polish and a checked hat, as well as a skull that would seem incensed that its bones are checkered.
I assume I have a few V-bucks, and the next time I load the game, this is the only way to play. There is no better way to react to the word “dead game” than to turn around and sell a virtual shirt with that printed on it, knowing it will sell like hotcakes. Epic GGWP.
