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Some battle royale enthusiasts are experiencing disappointed, and this isn't due to recent in-game events. The game's current limited-time event, that brings a Simpsons-themed world, has also unveiled a fresh feature known as sidekicks. There's no deny that these new pets are cute. However, the associated costs have left numerous players stunned at this company's attempts to monetize almost each part of the game.

Understanding Sidekicks?

Companions are essentially similar to digital creatures, though with some drawbacks. You can give them a name, and these pets will follow your character during a game. These sidekicks are indestructible, and you can pet them. Opposing players outside your squad cannot view these pets — and showing off one's animal friends is perhaps half the fun of owning them. Sidekicks can be customized with outfits and emotes, but the controversy centers on their looks. Each pet's main design can only be altered once, after which that selection becomes permanent. You can choose a sidekick's coat color, secondary colors, iris tones, markings, and its build size.

A Costly Personalization System

Should a player afterward decide that they'd like their pet to appear a bit different, you cannot just further modify the appearance. Players must purchase a new sidekick. And, sidekicks are not cheap. Most people are obtaining the Peels pet, since it is included with this season's battle pass. According to unofficial reports, upcoming pets could cost anywhere between 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 whenever you'd like.

Community Reaction and Parallels

The majority of sidekicks haven't been officially launched so far, so the pricing could easily be adjusted. But even if the developer makes companions more affordable, a lot of the frustration stems from the fact that gamers might need to spend for a single kind of sidekick multiple times. To certain players, the cost structure seems particularly egregious when the game has already added pets that ride around as part of back blings. Backpack companions lack a restriction on changes and can be seen by other participants in the game. Backpack buddies cannot be named or perform emotes, but other players are able to sometimes engage with them — which is better than being unseen altogether.

Lack of unique features and limited interaction options have many gamers experiencing disappointed. For instance, why is it not possible to a player, for example, play fetch with their fancy banana dog? A few point out that companions sometimes fail to keep up with the user if a game is fast-paced, or observe that Peels takes up two slots in the reward system — and this reinforces the idea that the developer is squeezing players for money. Greedy is a term that's coming up often in these conversations, with some comparing sidekick pricing to similar aggressive monetization models in games like EA Sports FC. It also adds to the issue that certain pets are projected to be more expensive than their outfit versions.

"We urge you to do not purchasing Companion Pets," urges a popular community thread that advises other gamers to figuratively express disapproval by not spending.

"We understand they're adorable," the post adds, "I know they're fun. I know everyone has been looking forward to them. However the greed being shown is unacceptable and must not be supported."

A Broader Picture of In-Game Purchases

In recent years, Fortnite's events and partnerships have grown in scale and ambition, but the free-to-play title still must earn revenue. Therefore, the sheer number of cosmetics users can currently buy has grown nearly overwhelming. Beyond basics like back accessories, deployment tools, harvesting tools, and gestures, players might possibly use cash on shoes, songs, instruments, Lego pieces, cars, wheels, custom paint jobs, seasonal rewards, and a membership. Sidekicks not only require money, and also bring in a range of new monetization options for the company. Presumably, users will soon be able to spend for items like pet looks, costumes, emotes, and additional engagement options.

Every one of these customization items are entirely voluntary and not necessary to enjoy the experience, but gear can still affect a player's social experience. Younger players, for instance, at times face teasing for using flashy sufficiently cool outfits. A similar issue previously occurred when the company launched licensed shoes, which may be priced from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. The shoe cost model wasn't popular as well, and a few fans promised that they'd avoid fall prey to the temptation at the time. However ultimately, purchasing footwear became normalized. Today, companion pets are additionally pushing the limits of what a player might be prepared to spend to be distinctive amongst the player base.

What is Ahead for Sidekicks?

Sidekicks are still a relatively recent feature, and they exist a game that updates regularly. A few fans are reporting that they've gotten a survey that assesses how people think about pet mechanics and pricing, and this might potentially indicate that the company's plans are remain subject to change. Yet if Fortnite shoes are any indication, companions probably will not get more affordable in general — instead, there may be a broader selection of prices to shop.

Ultimately, while some players are expressing anger at the game item costs, others are experiencing only happiness for their new battle royale pals.