Some Fortnite enthusiasts are feeling let down, and it's not due to recent in-game happenings. Fortnite's newest mini-season, which brings a Simpsons-themed map, has also rolled out a fresh mechanic known as sidekicks. It's impossible to ignore that the latest companions are adorable. However, the attached costs have left numerous fans stunned at this developer's efforts to monetize nearly each aspect of the game.
Companions are basically like digital creatures, but having some limitations. You can name them, and these pets will follow you throughout a game. They are immortal, and players can interact with them. Opposing gamers not in the player's party cannot view these pets — and displaying your animal friends is perhaps half the fun of having them. Sidekicks are able to be customized with costumes and emotes, but the controversy revolves around their looks. A sidekick's main appearance can only be altered one time, at which point that selection is final. Players can select a companion's coat color, secondary colors, iris tones, pattern, and its build size.
If you later choose that you want your pet to appear a bit different, you cannot simply further modify the look. Players must purchase a new companion. And, these pets are not cheap. Most people are getting the Peels pet, since it is included in this season's reward track. According to leaks, future sidekicks may be priced at anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 V-Bucks; for reference, 1,000 V-Bucks costs $8.99 and 2,800 V-Bucks cost $22.99. You can change the name of a sidekick whenever they want.
The majority of sidekicks haven't been officially launched yet, so the cost may well change. But regardless of whether the developer sets companions cheaper, much of the frustration stems from the reality that players could have to spend for a one kind of pet multiple times. For some, the cost structure seems especially unfair when the game has already added companions that ride around as part of backpack accessories. Back bling pets do not have a restriction on changes and can be seen by other participants in the game. Back bling pets cannot be named or use emotes, however other players can occasionally interact with them — which is more favorable than remaining invisible altogether.
Lack of special functions and limited engagement options have numerous players experiencing underwhelmed. For instance, why is it not possible to you, such as, interact playfully with your stylish banana dog? Some note that sidekicks do not always keep up with the player if a match is fast-paced, or mention that the banana pet occupies two spots in the battle pass — which supports the notion that the company is squeezing the community for money. Profit-driven is a term that's coming up often in these conversations, with a number of likening sidekick pricing to other intense monetization models in titles like popular sports games. It also doesn't help that certain pets are projected to be more expensive than equivalent outfit versions.
"We urge you to avoid purchasing Sidekicks," pleads a popular community thread that encourages fellow gamers to proverbially vote with their wallets.
"We understand these pets are adorable," the thread adds, "we realize they are enjoyable. We are aware we have all been looking forward to them. But the greed on display is disgusting and should not be supported."
Over the past few years, Fortnite's events and partnerships have grown in scale and aspiration, but the free-to-play game still must generate income. As such, the total number of items users are able to currently buy has grown nearly excessive. In addition to basics like back blings, gliders, pickaxes, and emotes, players might potentially use money on footwear, songs, instruments, Lego pieces, vehicles, wheels, vehicle drift colors, battle passes, and a membership. Companion pets do not just require payment, but also bring in a range of fresh revenue options for the developer. Presumably, players will soon be in a position to spend for things like sidekick looks, costumes, emotes, and further interaction options.
All of these customization items are entirely voluntary and unneeded to have fun with the game, yet equipment can nonetheless affect a player's social interactions. Younger players, for example, sometimes face bullying for not wearing impressive sufficiently cool skins. A comparable situation also transpired when the company introduced licensed kicks, which can range from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. That footwear cost model was not popular either, and some fans vowed that they'd avoid fall prey to the pressure back then. But ultimately, purchasing footwear became normalized. Now, companion pets are further testing the limits of what a gamer might be willing to pay to be distinctive within the player base.
Pets are currently a fairly new addition, and they exist a title that changes frequently. Some fans are sharing that they've received a questionnaire that assesses how people feel about pet mechanics and monetization, and this might potentially indicate that the developer's strategy are still subject to change. Yet if Fortnite footwear are any indication, companions probably will not become more affordable in general — there will just be a broader range of prices to shop.
After all, where certain players are expressing anger at the game shop prices, different players are experiencing nothing but happiness for their new battle royale friends.
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