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A number of battle royale enthusiasts are experiencing let down, and this isn't because of the latest in-game happenings. Fortnite's newest mini-season, that introduces a Simpsons-themed world, has also unveiled a fresh feature known as pets. It's impossible to deny that these new companions are adorable. But, the attached prices have left numerous fans shocked at this developer's efforts to monetize almost each aspect of the game.

Understanding Sidekicks?

Sidekicks are essentially like digital creatures, though with some drawbacks. Players can name them, and they will follow your character during a game. They are immortal, and you can pet them. Other players outside your party are unable to view sidekicks — and showing off one's companions is perhaps half the fun of having them. Sidekicks can be outfitted with outfits and gestures, however the debate centers on their appearance. Each sidekick's main design can only be changed once, after which that selection is final. Players can choose a companion's fur shade, secondary colors, eye colors, pattern, and its body type.

The Costly Customization System

Should a player afterward choose that they'd like their sidekick to appear a bit different, it's not possible to simply continue to modify its appearance. Players must buy a new companion. Furthermore, these pets aren't inexpensive. The majority of players are getting the Peels pet, because it is packaged in this season's reward track. Based on leaks, future sidekicks could be priced at from 1,000 to 1,500 V-Bucks; for reference, 1,000 V-Bucks costs $8.99 and 2,800 V-Bucks are $22.99. However, players can change the name of a companion as many times as they want.

Community Response and Comparisons

Most pets have not been formally released yet, so the pricing may easily be adjusted. Yet regardless of whether the developer sets sidekicks cheaper, a lot of the anger stems from the fact that gamers could need to spend for a single type of sidekick multiple times. For some, the cost structure seems especially unfair considering the game has already added pets that are carried around as part of back blings. Backpack companions do not have a restriction on changes and are visible by other players in the game. Backpack pets cannot be given a name or perform emotes, but opposing gamers are able to sometimes engage with them — which is better than remaining unseen completely.

The absence of special features and restricted interaction options have numerous gamers experiencing underwhelmed. For instance, why is it not possible to you, such as, play fetch with their fancy banana dog? A few point out that companions sometimes fail to stay close with the player if a game is moving quickly, or observe that the banana pet occupies two spots in the reward system — and this reinforces the notion that the company is squeezing players for money. Greedy is a word that's coming up often in these conversations, with a number of comparing pet monetization to other intense monetization models in games like EA Sports FC. It also doesn't help that some sidekicks are expected to be pricier than equivalent outfit counterparts.

"We urge you to avoid buy Companion Pets," urges one highly-voted community thread that advises fellow gamers to proverbially vote with their wallets.

"I know they're adorable," the thread adds, "we realize they're enjoyable. I know everyone has been anticipating them. But the greed on display is disgusting and should not be supported."

A Broader Context of Virtual Purchases

Over the past few years, Fortnite's special occasions and collaborations have expanded in scale and ambition, but the no-cost-to-start game still needs to generate revenue. As such, the sheer number of cosmetics users can now purchase has grown almost excessive. Beyond standard items like back accessories, deployment tools, pickaxes, and emotes, players might potentially use money on footwear, songs, musical tools, building blocks, vehicles, tires, custom paint jobs, battle passes, and a membership. Sidekicks do not just require money, but also introduce a host of fresh revenue avenues for the developer. Presumably, users will before long be in a position to pay for items like sidekick looks, costumes, emotes, and additional interaction options.

All of such cosmetics are entirely voluntary and unneeded to enjoy the experience, but gear can still affect a player's community interactions. Younger players, for example, at times face teasing for not wearing impressive sufficiently cool outfits. A comparable situation previously transpired when the developer launched brand-name kicks, which may be priced from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. The shoe cost model was not popular as well, and a few players vowed that they wouldn't succumb to the pressure at the time. But ultimately, purchasing shoes became normalized. Now, sidekicks are further testing the limits of what a player could be prepared to spend to be distinctive amongst the crowd.

What's Next for Companion Pets?

Sidekicks are currently a fairly new addition, and they exist a title that updates frequently. A few players are reporting that they have gotten a questionnaire that assesses how people feel about pet mechanics and monetization, and this might potentially indicate that the developer's strategy are still fluid. Yet if the game footwear are any indication, companions likely will not get cheaper overall — there will just be a wider selection of costs to shop.

After all, while some players are expressing anger at the game shop prices, different players are experiencing nothing but happiness for their new battle royale pals.