Fortnitehas brought forth yet another huge crossover in the form ofCyberpunk 2077, bringing V and Johnny Silverhand to the battle royale. Through the years,Fortnitehas become known for its collaborations with popular franchises, andCyberpunk 2077marks a major gaming IP getting its time in the spotlight. While this crossover is exciting forCyberpunk 2077fans, there is also some controversy surrounding the specific skins that have been used.
V and Johnny Silverhand are the most notable characters fromCyberpunk 2077, but the controversy itself comes from the V skin. SinceCyberpunk 2077is an RPG, the game opts for character customization. However, there are two default appearances for V - male and female - that were used for the game’s marketing. The latter is theV featured inFortnite’s collaboration. Some players were hoping for a male option for V, which has caused some debate among theFortnitecommunity.
Fortnite Not Including Male V Causes a Stir in the Game’s Community
Claims of Male V Erasure
Fortnite’sCyberpunk 2077offerings bring a variety of exciting items to the popular game, like a Mantis Blade Harvester, but the lack of a male V has caused a bit of backlash. In response to the skins, X user Komegatze stated, “They look great but man, they really are erasing male V aren’t they.” Another X user known as LegacyKillaHD posted “No Male V? That’s crazy erasure.” While the frustration aroundthe lack of a male Vcan be understandable, there is likely a good reason for this choice.
Fortnite is Likely Not Pushing One V Over the Other
Discourse surrounding the skins has led some to believe that CD Projekt Red andFortniteare trying to push the female version of V as canon instead of the male version, but this is unlikely. When it comes to high-profile crossovers like this, there is often a male character and a female character offered. Since Johnny Silverhand,and Keanu Reeves in general, have become such an iconic face of theCyberpunk 2077franchise, this likely inspired developers to use him as the male counterpart. It would be strange to have aCyberpunk 2077crossover inFortnitewithout the presence of V, but it would be just as odd to leave Johnny Silverhand out, too. It seems possible that CD Projekt Red was only able to use two characters, so they were forced to make a decision with V in order to keep Johnny.
This isn’t the first time Keanu Reeves has been inFortnite. The game has featured a John Wick skin in the past.
Of course, this is pure speculation, but it’s a possible scenario. Both themale and female versions of Vhave been present inCyberpunk 2077’s marketing, and since the franchise is based around role-playing and living out one’s dystopian fantasies, it would be counterproductive for CD Projekt Red to choose a canon version of the protagonist.
Other Cyberpunk 2077 Items Featured in Fortnite
Male V in Fortnite is Still a Possibility
The male version of V may not be present inFortniteat the moment, but that doesn’t mean he’ll never appear. Now thatCyberpunk 2077has been added, it’s possible for even more characters to be introduced in the future. In addition to the male V, characters like Jackie Welles, Judy Alvarez, and Panam Palmer could potentially be on the table, whilecharacters fromEdgerunnerswould also be an exciting crossover.
Although male V may not be included inFortnite’sCyberpunk 2077crossover, it’s nice to see faces from the popular RPG being brought to the battle royale.Fortnitehas been ramping up its crossovers lately, andCyberpunk 2077is a strong addition.
