Fortnite Game Fans Express Displeasure Over New Companion Creatures and Alleged Greed

Some battle royale players are experiencing let down, and it's not due to recent in-game happenings. Fortnite's current mini-season, that introduces a Springfield map, also rolled out a fresh feature called sidekicks. There's no ignore that these new pets are cute. However, the attached costs have left many players stunned at the company's attempts to profit from nearly each part of the gaming experience.

What Are Companion Pets?

Companions are basically similar to digital creatures, but with some drawbacks. You can give them a name, and they will accompany your character throughout a match. These sidekicks are immortal, and players can interact with them. Other players not in your party cannot view these pets — and showing off one's animal friends is arguably half the fun of having them. Pets can be outfitted with costumes and emotes, but the debate revolves around their looks. Each sidekick's main design is only able to be changed one time, after which that selection becomes permanent. Players can choose a sidekick's coat color, accent hues, iris tones, markings, and their build size.

A Costly Personalization Mechanism

If a player later decide that they'd like your sidekick to look a bit altered, it's not possible to just further modify its look. Players must purchase another sidekick. And, sidekicks aren't cheap. Most people are getting the Peels sidekick, because it's packaged in the current battle pass. Based on unofficial reports, future pets could be priced at from 1,000 to 1,500 V-Bucks; to put that in perspective, 1,000 V-Bucks costs $8.99 and 2,800 V-Bucks are $22.99. However, players can rename a companion as many times as you'd like.

Player Reaction and Parallels

Most sidekicks haven't been formally released yet, so the pricing may easily be adjusted. But even if the company makes companions more affordable, a lot of the frustration comes from the reality that players might have to spend for a single type of pet more than once. To certain players, the cost structure feels particularly egregious considering the game has already added companions that are carried about as part of back blings. Back bling companions do not have a customization limitation and are visible by other participants in the game. Back bling buddies can't be given a name or perform emotes, however opposing gamers can sometimes interact with them — and this is better than remaining invisible completely.

Lack of special functions and restricted engagement choices have numerous players experiencing underwhelmed. Why can't you, for example, play fetch with their stylish banana dog? Some note that companions sometimes fail to keep up with the player if a game is fast-paced, or mention that Peels takes up two slots in the reward system — and this supports the idea that the company is squeezing the community for money. Profit-driven is a term that's coming up often in such discussions, with some comparing pet monetization to similar aggressive monetization models in games like EA Sports FC. It also doesn't help that certain pets are expected to be pricier than their outfit counterparts.

"We urge you to do not purchasing Sidekicks," urges one highly-voted community thread that advises other players to figuratively express disapproval by not spending.

"I know they're adorable," the post adds, "I know they're fun. We are aware we have all been looking forward to them. But the greed on display is disgusting and must not be rewarded."

The Bigger Context of In-Game Spending

Over the past few years, the game's events and partnerships have expanded in scope and ambition, yet the no-cost-to-start title continues to must earn revenue. Therefore, the sheer quantity of items players are able to now purchase has grown almost excessive. Beyond standard items like back blings, gliders, harvesting tools, and gestures, you could potentially spend cash on shoes, music tracks, musical tools, building blocks, cars, wheels, custom paint jobs, battle passes, and a membership. Companion pets not only cost money, and also bring in a host of new monetization avenues for the company. It is likely, players will soon be able to spend for things like sidekick appearances, costumes, gestures, and additional engagement options.

Every one of these customization items are entirely voluntary and unneeded to enjoy the game, but equipment can still affect your community interactions. Kids, for instance, at times encounter teasing for not wearing flashy sufficiently cool skins. A comparable situation also occurred when the company introduced licensed shoes, which can range from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. The shoe pricing scheme wasn't well received as well, and some fans vowed that they'd avoid succumb to the temptation at the time. However ultimately, buying shoes became normalized. Today, companion pets are further testing the boundaries of how much a gamer might be prepared to spend to be distinctive amongst the crowd.

What's Next for Sidekicks?

Pets are currently a relatively new addition, and they exist a game that updates frequently. Some players are sharing that they've gotten a questionnaire that gauges how the community think about sidekick functionality and pricing, which could possibly mean that the developer's strategy are remain subject to change. Yet if Fortnite shoes are any indication, companions probably will not become cheaper overall — instead, there may be a wider selection of costs to shop.

After all, where certain players are expressing anger at Fortnite item costs, others are experiencing only joy for their battle royale friends.