Fortnite Game Community Voice Frustration Over Latest Companion Creatures and Alleged Greed

A number of battle royale players are feeling let down, and it's not due to recent in-game events. The game's current mini-season, which brings a Springfield world, has also unveiled a brand-new feature called sidekicks. There's no ignore that the new companions are cute. However, the attached costs have made numerous fans stunned at this developer's efforts to profit from almost every aspect of the gaming experience.

Understanding Sidekicks?

Companions are essentially similar to digital creatures, though having some limitations. You can name them, and these pets will accompany your character throughout a game. These sidekicks are immortal, and you can interact with them. Other players not in your squad cannot see sidekicks — and showing off your animal friends is perhaps half the enjoyment of owning them. Sidekicks are able to be customized with costumes and emotes, however the controversy revolves around their appearance. Each pet's overall design is only able to be altered one time, after which that choice is permanent. Players can select a sidekick's coat color, secondary colors, iris tones, markings, and their body type.

The Expensive Personalization System

Should you later choose that they'd like their sidekick to look slightly different, you cannot simply continue to customize its look. Players must purchase another sidekick. Furthermore, these pets aren't cheap. Most people are getting the banana-themed sidekick, since it is included with this season's battle pass. Based on unofficial reports, upcoming sidekicks could 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. However, players can rename a sidekick whenever you'd like.

Community Reaction and Parallels

Most sidekicks haven't been formally launched so far, so the cost may well be adjusted. But even if the company sets sidekicks more affordable, much of the anger stems from the reality that gamers could have to spend for a one kind of sidekick multiple times. To certain players, the cost structure seems especially egregious considering the developer has already added pets that ride around inside back blings. Back bling pets do not have a restriction on changes and can be seen by fellow players in the game. Backpack buddies can't be given a name or use gestures, however other players can occasionally interact with them — which is better than being unseen completely.

Lack of unique functions and limited engagement choices have numerous gamers feeling underwhelmed. Why can't you, for example, interact playfully with their fancy banana dog? Some note that companions sometimes fail to stay close with the user if a game is fast-paced, or mention that Peels takes up two spots in the battle pass — and this reinforces the notion that the developer is pressuring the community for money. Greedy is a term that's coming up frequently in these conversations, with a number of comparing pet monetization to similar aggressive monetization models in games like popular sports games. Additionally, it adds to the issue that some sidekicks are expected to be pricier than equivalent character skin counterparts.

"We urge you to do not purchasing Sidekicks," urges a popular online thread that advises other gamers to figuratively vote with their wallets.

"I know these pets are adorable," the post continues, "I know they are enjoyable. We are aware we have all been anticipating them. But the greed being shown is disgusting and must not be supported."

A Bigger Picture of Virtual Spending

Over the past few years, the game's events and partnerships have grown in scale and ambition, but the free-to-play title continues to must earn revenue. As such, the total number of items users are able to now buy has grown almost overwhelming. Beyond basics like back accessories, deployment tools, pickaxes, and emotes, you could possibly spend money on footwear, music tracks, instruments, building blocks, cars, tires, vehicle drift colors, battle passes, and a subscription. Sidekicks do not just cost money, but also bring in a host of fresh monetization options for the company. It is likely, players will before long be able to spend for items like sidekick looks, costumes, gestures, and further interaction features.

Every one of these cosmetics are entirely optional and unneeded to have fun with the game, but gear can still influence your community experience. Kids, for example, sometimes face teasing for not wearing impressive sufficiently cool skins. A similar situation previously occurred when the company launched brand-name kicks, which may be priced from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. That footwear cost model wasn't well received as well, and some players promised that they wouldn't fall prey to the temptation at the time. However in the end, purchasing footwear became normalized. Today, companion pets are further pushing the boundaries of how much a gamer might be prepared to pay to stand out within the crowd.

What is Next for Sidekicks?

Pets are still a fairly new addition, and they're part of a game that changes frequently. Some fans are sharing that they have received a survey that gauges how people think about sidekick mechanics and monetization, and this might possibly mean that the company's plans are still fluid. Yet if Fortnite footwear are any indication, sidekicks probably will not become more affordable overall — there will just be a wider range of prices to shop.

Ultimately, where certain individuals are raging at the game item costs, different players are experiencing nothing but joy for their competitive pals.