Fortnite brings back long-forgotten Borderlands collab skin for the first time in almost 5 years, right on cue for Borderlands 4's new, earlier release date

Borderlands fans can't stop winning, as Fortnite just brought back its old collab skin to the battle royale for the first time in almost five years, just in time for Borderlands 4 to get an earlier release date.

Fortnite has loads of fun collab cosmetics, allowing players to go for a victory royale as everyone from Spider-Man to Satoru Gojo, to Hatsune Miku and Solid Snake, but sometimes, actually being able to get your hands on the skins is easier said than done. Cosmetics released in the item shop are constantly rotating in and out, so they're not always available, and some things have been absent for quite some time.

While I've been in a constant state of regret over missing out on Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy in 2023, fans of other franchises have been waiting even longer for certain collaborations to return, like the popular League of Legends Arcane skins, which have been missing for over three years and won't be coming back "in the foreseeable future." It's stuff like that that makes the return of Borderlands' own Psycho Bandit bundle – complete with the skin itself, as well as a Claptrap back bling and Psycho Buzz Axes – even more worth celebrating.

The last time these cosmetics were available to buy from the battle royale's item shop was all the way back in May 2020, so it's been a really long time coming for anyone who missed out. There was a longer period of availability for the skin for anyone who was up for buying Borderlands 3 on the Epic Games Store before the end of 2020 – those players got it as an extra bonus, but that eligibility period has long since expired.

Looking at the fine print in the item shop today, it's confirmed that Psycho Bandit will be available to buy until May 3 at 5pm PT, 8pm ET, or May 4 at 1am BST. After that, as with any skin, it's not known how long it'll be before he's back again.

While some players love having "rare" skins, those being ones which haven't been seen in ages or were only available for a very limited time, I imagine there's a lot more people simply happy to have the opportunity to grab a collab they missed out on before.

Is that going to stop some old Psycho Bandit owners from being a tad annoyed that their skin isn't as elusive as it once was? Probably not. But personally, I hope this sets the stage for even more of the long-forgotten collabs to return to the battle royale.

Again, the timing of the skin's comeback is impeccable, as just a couple of hours ago it was revealed that Borderlands 4 is now set to release on September 12 instead of September 23, so we can prepare to embark on the new looter shooter 11 days earlier than expected.

It's also been revealed that the deep dive Borderlands 4 State of Play will be taking place tomorrow, which should hopefully be full of new details for us to pore over.

Borderlands 4's tone sits somewhere between the first two games, which probably means less Skibidi Toilet and more Handsome Jack-style antics.