There’s been an ongoing conversation in gaming lately: crossover skins are starting to throw a game’s art direction into bizarre territory. Over the past few years, cosmetics (or skins) have spiraled into this endless sea of possibilities—one of which includes injecting third-party franchises into games where they don’t belong, ultimately disrupting the tone those games initially set out to achieve.
Now, this isn’t inherently bad as they’re purely cosmetic and don’t impact gameplay—but it signals a shift in priorities. We’re entering an era of microtransactions that often care little for a game’s artistic identity.
Recent examples, such as Bungie’s Destiny 2, Activision’s Call of Duty, and, of course, Epic’s Fortnite, showcase just how weird these crossovers can get.
Destiny 2's crossover content has fully leaned into “out of place” territory. It started out fine—cosmetics based on The Witcher and Mass Effect series felt like a decent fit. But then came Ghostbusters. Suddenly, the gritty, high-concept sci-fi world of Destiny is host to Guardians flying around in Ectomobile ships with Slimer Ghost shells. It’s jarring.
For a game that thrives on its unique sci-fi aesthetic, this was an odd move from Bungie. Hopefully, it’s not a direction they keep leaning into once Marathon arrives.
Then there’s Call of Duty, which has gone full throttle on bizarre collaborations. Recently, it brought in characters from Amazon’s The Boys and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can probably find a way to mentally justify Homelander with a gun, but watching Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello running around with ARs feels like tonal whiplash. This franchise was built on realism—or at least it used to be. Even Activision is aware of this issue.
Fortnite, on the other hand, gets some leeway. It’s built around the idea of a multiverse—granted, more of a business-driven multiverse… but still. That said, even in Fortnite, some moments feel off. Seeing Nickelodeon’s Aang wielding a pistol and doing the Griddy over downed enemies doesn’t scream pacifist. Or how about Godzilla? A metaphor for nuclear destruction, now rocking Jordans and pulling off 360 trick shots. It’s entertaining, sure, but it also feels wildly out of sync with its source material.
Not every game mishandles it, though. Overwatch is a good example of doing it right. The devs have been clear: the characters aren’t becoming the franchise crossovers—they’re just cosplaying them. It’s a subtle but important distinction that helps maintain the game’s identity, like what they did with Cowboy Bebop and Avatar: The Legend of Aang. For example, the recent collaboration with K-pop group Le Sserafim stayed pretty true to the game’s lore, even if it was a little odd seeing older characters like Mercy and Ashe suddenly embracing the K-pop aesthetic.
The truth is, there’s not much players can do about these odd crossovers. Sure, you can ignore or choose not to buy them, but they’re not just out of place—they’re expensive. Ranging from $30 to $60 per pack, these cosmetics create a new layer of FOMO. If you miss out, you’re stuck waiting for the next shop rotation, hoping it returns.
Ultimately, there’s no strong reason to keep shoehorning in these outlandish crossovers where they don’t fit. It comes off as lazy content padding—just more stuff to sell, with little thought to how it meshes with the world it’s being dropped into.