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A number of battle royale players are feeling let down, and it's not because of the latest virtual happenings. Fortnite's current mini-season, that brings a Simpsons-themed world, also rolled out a fresh mechanic called pets. There's no ignore that the new companions are cute. However, the attached costs have made many players shocked at the developer's efforts to monetize nearly each aspect of the game.

Understanding Companion Pets?

Sidekicks are essentially like Pokémon, though having some drawbacks. You can name them, and they will follow your character during a match. These sidekicks are indestructible, and players can pet them. Opposing players outside your party cannot see sidekicks — and showing off your companions is arguably half the fun of having them. Sidekicks can be outfitted with outfits and gestures, but the controversy revolves around their appearance. Each sidekick's overall appearance is only able to be altered once, at which point that choice becomes final. Players can choose a sidekick's coat color, secondary colors, iris tones, markings, and its body type.

The Expensive Personalization System

Should you later choose that you want their sidekick to look slightly different, you cannot simply further modify the look. You have to buy a new sidekick. Furthermore, these pets aren't cheap. The majority of players are getting the banana-themed pet, because it's packaged with the current battle pass. According to leaks, upcoming pets could cost from 1,000 to 1,500 V-Bucks; to put that in perspective, 1,000 V-Bucks is priced at $8.99 and 2,800 V-Bucks cost $22.99. You can rename a sidekick whenever you'd like.

Player Reaction and Parallels

Most pets haven't been formally launched yet, so the pricing could well be adjusted. Yet even if the company sets companions cheaper, much of the anger stems from the fact that gamers might need to spend for a one kind of pet multiple times. To certain players, the pricing scheme feels especially egregious when the game has previously introduced pets that ride about as part of backpack accessories. Back bling companions lack a customization limitation and are visible by other players in the match. Back bling buddies can't be named or use gestures, however opposing players can sometimes interact with them — which is better than being invisible altogether.

The absence of unique features and limited engagement options have many gamers feeling disappointed. Why can't a player, such as, play fetch with their fancy banana dog? A few note that companions sometimes fail to stay close with the player if a game is fast-paced, or mention that Peels takes up two slots in the battle pass — and this supports the idea that the company is squeezing the community for money. Profit-driven is a term that's appearing frequently in these conversations, with some comparing sidekick monetization to other aggressive monetization models in games like popular sports games. It also adds to the issue that certain sidekicks are expected to be more expensive than their outfit versions.

"We urge you to do not purchasing Sidekicks," pleads one popular community post that advises other players to figuratively vote with their wallets.

"I know they're adorable," the thread continues, "I know they're fun. We are aware everyone has been anticipating them. But the greed being shown is disgusting and must not be rewarded."

The Bigger Context of In-Game Spending

Over the past few years, the game's events and collaborations have expanded in scale and ambition, yet the free-to-play game continues to needs to earn revenue. As such, the sheer number of cosmetics players are able to now purchase has become nearly overwhelming. Beyond basics like back accessories, gliders, pickaxes, and gestures, players might potentially use cash on footwear, songs, instruments, building blocks, vehicles, tires, vehicle drift colors, battle passes, and a subscription. Sidekicks do not just require payment, and also bring in a range of fresh monetization options for the company. It is likely, users will soon be in a position to spend for things like sidekick appearances, outfits, gestures, and additional engagement features.

Every one of such cosmetics are entirely optional and unneeded to enjoy the game, yet gear can nonetheless influence your social interactions. Kids, for instance, sometimes encounter bullying for not wearing impressive sufficiently cool skins. A comparable situation previously transpired when the company launched licensed kicks, which may be priced from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. That footwear cost model wasn't well received as well, and some fans promised that they wouldn't fall prey to the pressure back then. But ultimately, purchasing shoes became normalized. Now, sidekicks are additionally testing the boundaries of how much a gamer might be prepared to spend to stand out amongst the crowd.

What is Next for Sidekicks?

Sidekicks are currently a fairly new feature, and they're part of a game that changes regularly. Some fans are sharing that they have gotten a questionnaire that assesses how the community feel about sidekick mechanics and monetization, which could possibly indicate that the developer's strategy are remain subject to change. But if Fortnite shoes are any indication, companions likely will not get cheaper in general — there will just be a wider selection of costs to choose from.

Ultimately, while certain individuals are raging at Fortnite item costs, different players are feeling nothing but happiness for their new battle royale friends.