The Dark Truth Behind Weird Crossover Skins

These days, it feels like every game has a collaboration crossover event with a brand, show, or another video game. Call of Duty, Fortnite, League of Legends, Genshin Impact, and Minecraft; they’re constantly working in new skins, cosmetics, and characters that feature crossover branding.

The question is, why? And where did it all begin? We take a journey through the 1980’s with band shirts and product placement, to the 90’s with Marvel vs Capcom, through the 2000s with Super Smash Bros and Kingdom Hearts, and finally to the modern day with Thanos taking over Fortnite, Genshin having a KFC meal, and Roger from American Dad being included in Call of Duty, to answer the question once and for all.

These tie-ins are more than just fun; they’re advertising and marketing strategies aimed at getting you to buy different products. Snoop Dogg, Seth Rogan, Arianna Grande, they all have skins in these games because it helps them market to younger audiences.