Brand News
21 April 2022
Collab of the week: The Wu-Tang Clan is dropping digital gear in Fortnite
It's a look at how physical and digital goods are coming together.

Wu-Wear, now in Fortnitie. (Image courtesy of Epic Games)
It's a look at how physical and digital goods are coming together.
Wu-Wear, now in Fortnitie. (Image courtesy of Epic Games)
The Wu-Tang Clan is coming to Fortnite Island. News of the legendary hip-hop group's entrance into the video game offers an example of what commerce might look like as physical and digital worlds blend.
The details: On April 23 at 8 p.m., the popular battle royale video game Fortnite is set to drop new apparel and accessories from The Wu-Tang Clan in its in-game shop.
First, a little background on Fortnite: The game brings players into a world in which they must gather resources, and be inventive. It also has an economy all its own. Players can upgrade their looks with items from Fortnite’s Item Shop, a virtual marketplace where users use V-Bucks (which they exchanged for real money) to purchase items that style their characters, and their playing experiences. It’s an important part of Fortnite’s model, and a much-loved feature of the game that allows for creativity and customization.
(Image via Epic Games)
The drop on Friday brings the opportunity for a player to customize a game with Wu-Tang style. It is offering items from Wu-Wear, which is the Wu-Tang Clan’s clothing line, but with a distinct Fortnite spin. The digital items available to players include outfits and pickaxes. Players can also add in-game elements, such as emoticons and a loading screen.
With the drop, Fortnite doubles as a place where players can buy IRL goods, as well. Some of the Fortnite x Wu-Tang gear available will be physical versions of the looks that appear in the game.
Why it’s interesting: The drop mixes music, fashion and gaming, showing how a number of creative approaches can come together in a digital space. Making it all function is commerce, albeit of the in-game variety. This is one of a number of splashy recent additions to Fortnite that hint at an evolution of ecommerce as experiences bridge both digital and physical goods. There are opportunities for cross-pollination between physical and digital goods. What started in one medium can be applied in another. Drops and high-profile collaborations are nothing new in the fashion world. With regular collaborations like this one, Fortnite is showing how they can move to the virtual world.
(Image courtesy of Epic Games)
What it shows: When industry leaders urge anyone wanting a glimpse of the metaverse to look no further than kids playing video games, this is an example of what they mean. In creating a new digital world, Fortnite is bringing some of what exists in this one along. The players have a new set of tools to add to it as they go. The availability of goods in real life demonstrates the opportunities that might emerge to style the physical world after the virtual one.
Amazon partnered with Hexa to provide access to a platform that creates lifelike digital images.
A 3D rendering of a toaster from Hexa and Amazon. (Courtesy photo)
Amazon sellers will be able to offer a variety of 3D visualizations on product pages through a new set of immersive tools that are debuting on Tuesday.
Through an expanded partnership with Hexa, Amazon is providing access to a workflow that allows sellers to create 3D assets and display the following:
Selllers don't need prior experience with 3D or virtual reality to use the system, according to Hexa. Amazon selling partners can upload their Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) into Hexa’s content management system. Then, the system will automatically convert an image into a 3D model with AR compatibility. Amazon can then animate the images with 360-degree viewing and augmented reality, which renders digital imagery over a physical space.
Hexa’s platform uses AI to create digital twins of physical objects, including consumer goods. Over the last 24 months, Hexa worked alongside the spatial computing team at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the imaging team at Amazon.com to build the infrastructure that provides 3D assets for the thousands of sellers that work with Amazon.
“Working with Amazon has opened up a whole new distribution channel for our partners,” said Gavin Goodvach, Hexa’s Vice President of Partnerships.
Hexa’s platform is designed to create lifelike renderings that can explored in 3D, or overlaid into photos of the physical world. It allows assets from any category to be created, ranging from furniture to jewelry to apparel.
A Hexa 3D rendering (Courtesy photo)
The result is a system that allows sellers to provide a new level of personalization, said Hexa CEO Yehiel Atias. Consumers will have new opportunity see a product in a space, or what it looks like on their person.
Additionally, merchants can leverage these tools to optimize the entire funnel of a purchase. Advanced imagery allows more people to view and engage with a product during the initial shopping experience. Following the purchase, consumers who have gotten a better look at a product from all angles will be more likely to have confidence that the product matches their needs. In turn, this can reduce return rates.
While Amazon has previously introduced virtual try-on and augmented reality tools, this partnership aims to expand these capabilities beyond the name brands that often have 1P relationships with Amazon. Third-party sellers are an increasingly formidable segment of Amazon’s business, as they account for 60% of sales on the marketplace. Now, these sellers are being equipped with tools that enhance the shopping experience for everyone.
A video displaying the new capabilities is below. Amazon sellers can learn more about the platform here.
Hexa & Amazon - 3D Production Powerhousewww.youtube.com