Have A Spare $170? Because That’s How Much Fortnite’s Latest Skin Will Cost You
Johnny Flores Jr. is a News Editor at TheGamer. He joined the team in 2024, and is focused on bringing the latest news to readers in a fun and easily digestible format. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Johnny owns a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. California born and raised, you can often find Johnny enjoying the sunshine and In-N-Out. When not gaming or writing news, Johnny can be found playing with his two male chihuahuas, Akira and August, whom he affectionately calls his sons.
By this point in gaming’s history, we’re all grossly aware of just how egregious and widespread microtransactions are across some of the most popular games. Even a title like Battlefield 6, which promised a more traditional first-person shooter multiplayer experience in the lead-up to launch, is being bombarded with oodles of micros.
Fortnite is no exception to the rule, with its V-Bucks and myriad collaborations with pop culture icons, but the cost of this latest skin might take the cake.
Today’s youth can’t wait to find a pile of V-Bucks gift cards under the Christmas tree.
As first spotted by Insider Gaming, Clyde, a raccoon dressed like a cowboy, is now available, provided you’ve either already shelled out the $170 or are planning to shell out the $170 it costs to have a Backbone Pro, a new handheld device that helps you play games on your phone, complete with analog sticks, buttons and triggers.
As Backbone’s website states: “For a limited time, starting December 3rd, 2025, new Backbone Pro purchases and current Backbone Pro owners can unlock the Clyde Outfit. Pick up a Backbone Pro controller, redeem your code, and complete a quick in-game Quest to add Clyde to your locker.”
The website further notes that Clyde is “not exclusive,” and it “may” be available for purchase later on, though it’s not a guarantee.
We won’t pretend to be mathematicians, but this has to be one of the most expensive Fortnite skins on record, right? There’s obviously one-and-done skins that help raise account value, and skins that were tied to some sort of small purchase, but this takes the cake, especially if you had no plans of ever using the Backbone.
Of course, it’s no Counter-Strike, but still, it’s a dang expensive piece of pixels. Somehow, this isn’t nearly as crazy as it seems.
Expensive Skins Have Become Rather Normal In Today s Landscape
Fans of shooters might remember that ahead of Black Ops 6’s release last year, there was a “Gold Lightning” weapon skin that was locked behind purchasing a real-life Wunderwaffle replica gun that costs — wait for it — $350. Actually, that $350 is being really generous because, after shipping, taxes and package protection, the entire cost was well over $400!
That wasn’t the only skin-related controversy when it came to BO6, as the “BlackCell” variant of The Replacer, an iconic part of Black Ops marketing, required purchasing the basic Replacer bundle at $19.99, plus the BlackCell pass at $29.99 or $50 for one central element.
Battlefield 6 isn’t immune to those issues, either, as some particularly grounded skins are running at $22. Battlefield 6 was on sale for as low as $35 on Black Friday, meaning a skin was roughly 65 percent of the total purchase. Ouch.
Epic Games has delivered one of Fortnite’s best live events yet with the fantastic Zero Hour.
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