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Some battle royale enthusiasts are feeling let down, and it's not due to recent in-game happenings. Fortnite's current limited-time event, that brings a Simpsons-themed world, also unveiled a fresh feature known as sidekicks. It's impossible to ignore that the new companions are cute. However, the associated costs have made numerous fans stunned at the developer's attempts to profit from nearly each part of the game.

What Are Companion Pets?

Sidekicks are basically similar to digital creatures, but with some limitations. You can give them a name, and these pets will follow you throughout a match. These sidekicks are immortal, and you can interact with them. Other players outside the player's party cannot see these pets — and displaying your animal friends is perhaps a big part of the fun of having them. Pets can be customized with costumes and gestures, but the debate centers on their appearance. Each pet's main design can only be altered once, after which that choice becomes permanent. Players can choose a sidekick's coat color, secondary colors, iris tones, markings, and their body type.

A Expensive Customization Mechanism

Should you later choose that they'd like their pet to look a bit altered, it's not possible to simply further customize its appearance. Players must purchase another companion. Furthermore, sidekicks aren't cheap. Most players are getting the banana-themed sidekick, because it's included in this season's reward track. Based on unofficial reports, future pets 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 cost $22.99. You can change the name of a sidekick as many times as you'd like.

Player Response and Parallels

Most pets have not been officially launched yet, meaning the cost may well change. Yet regardless of whether the developer sets companions more affordable, much of the frustration stems from the reality that gamers might need to spend for a single kind of sidekick more than once. To certain players, the cost structure feels especially unfair considering the developer has previously introduced pets that are carried about as part of back blings. Back bling companions do not have a customization limitation and are visible by fellow participants in the game. Backpack buddies can't be named or use emotes, however other players can sometimes engage with them — which is better than remaining unseen completely.

Lack of unique functions and restricted engagement options have many players feeling disappointed. Why can't you, such as, play fetch with their stylish fruit-themed pet? Some point out that companions do not always stay close with the user if a game is moving quickly, or mention that the banana pet occupies two spots in the reward system — which reinforces the idea that the developer is squeezing players for revenue. Profit-driven is a word that's coming up often in these discussions, with a number of comparing pet monetization to similar intense monetization models in games like EA Sports FC. Additionally, it adds to the issue that certain sidekicks are projected to be pricier than their character skin versions.

"We urge you to do not purchasing Companion Pets," urges a highly-voted community post that encourages fellow players to proverbially express disapproval by not spending.

"I know these pets are adorable," the thread continues, "we realize they're enjoyable. I know we have all been anticipating them. However the greed on display is unacceptable and should not be supported."

A Broader Context of In-Game Purchases

In recent years, the game's events and collaborations have grown in scale and aspiration, but the no-cost-to-start game continues to needs to generate revenue. Therefore, the total number of cosmetics players can currently buy has grown almost overwhelming. In addition to basics like back accessories, deployment tools, harvesting tools, and gestures, you could potentially use money on footwear, songs, musical tools, Lego pieces, cars, wheels, custom paint jobs, battle passes, and a subscription. Sidekicks do not just cost money, but also bring in a host of fresh revenue avenues for the company. Presumably, users will before long be able to pay for items like pet looks, outfits, emotes, and additional engagement features.

Every one of such cosmetics are completely optional and unneeded to have fun with the game, but equipment can still affect a player's social experience. Kids, for instance, at times encounter teasing for using flashy enough skins. A similar issue previously occurred when the company introduced brand-name shoes, which may be priced from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. That shoe pricing scheme was not well received either, and some players promised that they wouldn't fall prey to the temptation back then. However ultimately, buying shoes became commonplace. Now, companion pets are further pushing the boundaries of how much a gamer might be prepared to pay to be distinctive within the crowd.

What's Ahead for Companion Pets?

Pets are currently a fairly new feature, and they're part of a game that changes regularly. Some players are sharing that they have gotten a survey that assesses how people feel about sidekick functionality and monetization, and this might potentially mean that the developer's strategy are still subject to change. But if Fortnite shoes are any indication, sidekicks probably won't get cheaper in general — instead, there may be a wider range of costs to choose from.

After all, where some individuals are expressing anger at Fortnite item costs, others are feeling nothing but joy for their battle royale pals.