Fortnite’s quirky characters spark a fan uprising.

Italian brainrot characters Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Ballerina Cappuccina may have taken social media by storm in 2025, but Fortnite players are far from thrilled about the introduction of AI-generated skins in the battle royale. Within just a day, fans on a community site voted these new skins as the worst cosmetics in the game. Players sporting these skins might want to tread carefully, as some Fortnite enthusiasts have declared they will target any brainrot characters they encounter in matches.

The controversy began when Epic Games teased the two brainrot skins in last month’s Chapter 7 season 2 trailer, signaling that their addition would spark debate. Some players dramatically claimed that these characters signaled the end of Fortnite. Since then, Epic has seen a significant decline in goodwill from its dedicated fanbase. Frustration was already brewing over a V-bucks price hike, and the company’s decision to lay off over 1,000 employees—including the designer of Fortnite’s iconic character, Jonesy—only intensified the backlash. The situation worsened when fans learned that one of the laid-off employees was terminally ill and lost his life insurance due to the layoffs.

Adding fuel to the fire, fans were outraged to hear that Epic was reportedly spending millions on low-quality creator maps, like Steal a Brainrot, while neglecting to retain its staff. Collaborations that would typically excite players were instead viewed as extravagant and unnecessary expenses.

“They did not deserve that much money; that money could have been used on better things,” remarked Fortnite influencer Sypherpk during a late March livestream, referring to the monetized user-created maps.

Now, with Tung Tung Tung Sahur and Ballerina Cappuccina officially in the game, the atmosphere is charged. “One thousand people lost their jobs for this,” reads a post on Reddit, featuring a brainrot character holding up the Gen Alpha meme 6-7. While some commenters speculated that Epic plans collaborations far in advance, the critique was more about the perceived misalignment of priorities. For many fans, introducing characters that appeal to the lowest common denominator amid dwindling player numbers reflects Epic’s misguided focus. Even if the layoffs weren’t directly tied to the brainrot skins, fans feel these characters have normalized the use of AI-generated assets in Fortnite, especially at a time when there are suddenly fewer human developers working on the game.

Regardless of interpretation, a vocal segment of Fortnite’s player base is fired up. Fans are vowing to target and harass anyone wearing brainrot skins and are encouraging each other to avoid spending money on them. While the current season revolves around a war where players must choose sides, these fans are uniting against what they see as the real enemy: Team Brainrot. Some are even threatening to abandon the game entirely.

So, is this apparent boycott having an impact? According to player tracking data, April’s peak player count is about half of what it was last year at this time. The month is just beginning, and Epic does have some exciting updates on the horizon. However, if these brainrot skins are offensive enough to drive players away from a game already filled with eye-rolling crossovers, Epic will need more than a Star Wars playhouse to win them back.