Interviewing the March 2022 Fortnite Concept Royale Winners: Kitsu and Dreo!

In March’s Concept Royale, we reached out to the community for their frightening concepts to be turned into in-game Outfits. We were delighted (and indeed frightened) as we reviewed them, and the designs of community members Dreo (@Dreowings) and Kitsu (@kitsunexkitsu) sent shivers down our spine especially. Based on their designs, the Sinister Glare and Undying Sorrow Outfits will debut in the Item Shop on October 15, 2022, at 8 PM ET!

Sinister Glare Outfit (inspired by Dreo's concept):



Undying Sorrow Outfit (inspired by Kitsu's concept):



We asked Dreo and Kitsu about their concepts’ inspirations, their artistic background, how it feels to win Concept Royale, and more:

How does it feel to win Concept Royale and to see your concept in Fortnite? 

Dreo: I don't think I can quite describe the feeling. It's incredible. I freak out every time I think of it. It is... just incredible. It feels like I'm dreaming and I'm going to wake up to be told it wasn't true.

Kitsu: It’s such an amazing feeling! I absolutely love sharing my creations with the world and being able to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy and play with my designs in Fortnite.

How long have you been designing Fortnite concepts? How did you get started? 

Dreo: I started making concepts in 2019, right after I saw a video interview with the creator of [the Aura and Guild Outfit concepts] that mentioned [the concepts] being community-made. I had always been a fan of making my own characters and cosmetics for different games, but it never occured to me that they could actually make it in. Therefore, I joined the art community and met a ton of fascinating people I shared my passion with. 

It felt so magical to watch each of them slowly accomplish their goal, getting their concepts in the game one by one . . . Any concept could be right around the corner and we wouldn't know. It was and always has been a cause for celebration to see a piece of us make it in. Today, after a lot of work, time, and effort, I can finally say... I did it! 

Kitsu: I started creating my characters and concepts in early 2020. First, it was just experimenting since I was new to 3D art after being introduced to it by my friends, but once I learned more by myself, I was able to go for more unique and complex designs.

Where did you get the inspiration for your concept? 

Dreo: Glare is inspired by a really old [Outfit] concept of mine, the first one I ever got to get traction in the community. It was one of my first ideas, but I was always aware of its potential. 

Therefore, I challenged myself to redesign it and see how much I had improved through the years. It was like revisiting an old friend, one that could always make me smile.  

Kitsu: I was mostly focused on creating something unique that would stand out in the game. Since I’m into “creepy” kind of stuff, I decided to create a character possessed by some secret powers — I didn’t want it to look cursed only inside, my goal was to design a human that’s visibly possessed.

Walk us through your design process for this concept.

Dreo: Back when the contest was announced, I was working as a construction worker, so I had little to no time — or energy — to spend on it. I designed Glare on my ten-minute lunch breaks, day after day. Every time I got the chance to rest, I would take out my sketchbook and draw all my ideas. Lunch break? Car ride? Dinner time? Sounds like the perfect time to design my dream character! 

I wanted Glare to feel alive, to have a personality, so much that I even ended up making a two-minute animated short, with no previous knowledge on the matter, [in two weeks]. It took a lot of consistency and work, but I'm incredibly glad I finished it on time. 

Kitsu: Usually every process of creating a character is the same for me — a random design or single features of the character pop up in my head and I decide to turn it into a concept, of course with some adjustments and changes. Working on Sorrow was definitely the second option, because at first I didn’t really have an idea for her face.

What elements or ideas from this concept are most important to you? What should players focus on? 

Dreo: To me, the eye is very important and definitely the focus point of [Glare’s] design. I really wanted his look to be somewhat scary, yet elegant. Like a monster that means no harm... but can make you disappear in a matter of seconds if you even think of striking first!

Kitsu: My favorite features of the concept are most likely the wings and third eye. The wings are supposed to resemble Sorrow’s human form passing away. The extra eye on Sorrow’s forehead [represents Sorrow’s] curse in general.

Do you have any tips for aspiring Fortnite concept designers?

Dreo: Don't obsess over immediate results! If you make concepts, do it for fun! Follow your dreams; with time and patience, everything will fall into place!

Kitsu: Of course! The key is to give yourself time to practice and take it slowly — I’d . . . recommend watching video tutorials since they’re really helpful. Second thing is coming up with your own unique ideas or even theme. Repetitive stuff gets boring after some time. And most importantly — unique posing! [Many] pose references on the internet help a lot.

Now that you’ve won Concept Royale, what’s next for you? 

Dreo: I am now studying fine arts, something I've always dreamed of! I have even less time now, but I'll keep making concepts and though I won't be able to play [Fortnite] as much for that reason, I'll hop into the Battle Bus every time I can to play with my old [Glare] friend! 

Kitsu: I’ll simply keep going! I still love creating new characters whether it’s a simple OC (original character) or [an Outfit] concept. Hopefully the [rest of the] community is as excited . . . [about] releasing new designs in the future — maybe some of [the concepts] will be able to get into Fortnite [like] Sorrow.
 

Sinister Glare and Undying Sorrow enter Fortnite just a few days before Fortnitemares 2022 begins. Look out for more Fortnitemares 2022 info soon!