An eight-year-old boy has become the latest source of inspiration for the Fortnite video game empire, estimated to be worth around £1.5 billion. 

Back in September, Connor was inspired to draw his dream character ‘skin’, a creation that he named the ‘Chicken Trooper’, which carried an axe and rucksack of chicken nuggets around with him.

After sending his illustration in a letter to Epic Games, who make the game, asking them to consider his proposal, his dad posted a photograph to Reddit.

The original post gathered 40,000 upvotes and caught the eye of an artist who drew a more high-tech version of the bird skin for Connor, featuring additional accessories like a chicken glider and an egg backpack.

Fans joined Connor in calling on the producers to make his dream a reality and now, two months later, it seems to have happened. 

After a tweet on the official Fortnite Twitter page alluded to it, gamers said they had uncovered the Chicken Trooper’s hideout in a watch tower in Lonely Lodge with a sleeping bag, cooked chicken legs and chicken feathers nearby.

Reddit user Shadow_Drgn also posted about some strange markings on one of Fortnite’s assault rifles, which looks to have been engraved with a chicken foot and clawed by bird-like talons. 

Connor’s dad returned to Reddit to say the skin was indeed going to be made available, after EG had asked for his son’s permission to use it. It will allegedly get a new name, however: Tender Defender, as opposed to Chicken Trooper.

PC Gamer said: “We are so excited. I surprised Connor with the skin (right before we had to leave to an event) and he and his brother loved it.”

At the weekend James Jarvis, head of video for Future Publishing’s games division, confirmed he had seen the update in the game itself.