All good things must come to an end, and less than a week after introducing (and announcing) them, the NFL skins have been removed from Fortnite. While an item being removed isn’t necessarily a noteworthy development, the initial fanfare surrounding these skins certainly raised some eyebrows.
The initial announcement came via the Fortnite Twitter account, signaling that the NFL items would soon be removed:
Have you scored the new NFL Outfits? Now is your opportunity before they rotate out of the store tonight! pic.twitter.com/SJe6eq8FZv
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) November 13, 2018
On the surface, this doesn’t seem to be a huge announcement. Fortnite regularly rotates the selection of the items in its store. Back in October 2018, the fan-favorite Skull Trooper skin was resurrected after a year-long absence. However, the circumstances surrounding these items make the removal a bit of a head-scratcher. For starters, it was the first time Fortnite teamed up with an outside company for in-game items. Secondly, partnering up with the NFL is a lucrative (and likely expensive) deal, making the short timeframe quite curious.
The NFL has certainly seen its fair share of controversy over the years, with many taking the opportunity to create some of the league’s most controversial figures, like Michael Vick and OJ Simpson. However, Epic Games hasn’t stated an official reason for the removal. It’s possible the deal was always foreseen as a limited-time event.
In more positive Fortnite news, the newest update just launched, adding a brand-new LTM while disabling re-deployable gliders once again.
