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A number of battle royale players are experiencing let down, and it's not because of recent in-game happenings. Fortnite's newest mini-season, which brings a Springfield map, has also unveiled a fresh mechanic called pets. It's impossible to ignore that the latest pets are cute. However, the associated prices have made many fans shocked at this company's attempts to profit from nearly each aspect of the gaming experience.

What Are Sidekicks?

Sidekicks are essentially like digital creatures, though having a few limitations. Players can name them, and these pets will accompany your character during a match. These sidekicks are immortal, and players can pet them. Opposing players outside your party cannot view sidekicks — and displaying one's companions is perhaps half the fun of having them. Sidekicks can be customized with outfits and emotes, however the controversy revolves around their appearance. Each sidekick's overall appearance can only be changed one time, at which point that choice is permanent. You can choose a sidekick's fur shade, accent hues, iris tones, pattern, and its build size.

The Expensive Personalization System

If you later decide that they'd like your sidekick to look a bit altered, you cannot simply continue to modify the appearance. Players must purchase another sidekick. And, sidekicks are not cheap. Most people are getting the Peels sidekick, since it is packaged in this season's battle pass. Based on unofficial reports, upcoming pets may cost 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 change the name of a sidekick whenever you'd like.

Community Response and Comparisons

Most sidekicks have not been officially released yet, meaning the cost may well be adjusted. Yet regardless of whether the company sets sidekicks cheaper, a lot of the frustration stems from the fact that players could need to spend for a one type of sidekick multiple times. For some, the cost structure feels particularly unfair considering the game has previously added companions that are carried around as part of back blings. Backpack pets lack a restriction on changes and can be seen by other participants in the game. Back bling pets cannot be named or use emotes, but other players can occasionally interact with them — and this is more favorable than remaining invisible completely.

Lack of special functions and limited interaction options have numerous players feeling underwhelmed. For instance, why is it not possible to a player, for example, play fetch with your stylish fruit-themed pet? Some point out that sidekicks do not always keep up with the player if a game is moving quickly, or mention that Peels takes up two spots in the battle pass — and this reinforces the notion that the developer is squeezing the community for revenue. Greedy is a word that's appearing frequently in such conversations, with a number of likening sidekick monetization to other intense monetization models in titles like popular sports games. Additionally, it doesn't help that certain sidekicks are expected to be more expensive than equivalent outfit versions.

"We urge you to do not buy Sidekicks," pleads a popular online thread that advises fellow players to figuratively express disapproval by not spending.

"I know they're cute," the thread continues, "we realize they are enjoyable. We are aware everyone has been anticipating them. But the monetization focus on display is unacceptable and should not be rewarded."

A Broader Picture of Virtual Purchases

Over the past few years, the game's events and collaborations have grown in scope and ambition, but the free-to-play title continues to must generate revenue. Therefore, the total number of cosmetics players can now buy has become almost excessive. Beyond standard items like back accessories, gliders, harvesting tools, and emotes, players might potentially spend money on footwear, music tracks, instruments, building blocks, vehicles, wheels, vehicle drift colors, battle passes, and a subscription. Sidekicks not only require money, and also introduce a range of new revenue options for the developer. Presumably, players will before long be able to pay for things like sidekick appearances, outfits, emotes, and further engagement features.

Every one of such cosmetics are entirely voluntary and not necessary to have fun with the experience, yet gear can still affect your social interactions. Younger players, for instance, sometimes encounter teasing for using flashy enough outfits. A comparable issue previously occurred when the company introduced brand-name kicks, which can range from 600 to 1,000 V-Bucks. That shoe pricing scheme wasn't well received as well, and a few fans promised that they'd avoid fall prey to the pressure back then. However in the end, purchasing footwear became normalized. Now, companion pets are further pushing the boundaries of how much a gamer might be prepared to spend to stand out amongst the player base.

What's Next for Sidekicks?

Pets are still a relatively new addition, and they exist a title that updates regularly. Some players are sharing that they have gotten a questionnaire that assesses how people feel about pet functionality and pricing, which could potentially indicate that the developer's plans are remain fluid. But if Fortnite shoes are a sign, companions probably won't get cheaper overall — there will just be a broader selection of costs to choose from.

Ultimately, where certain players are raging at the game item costs, different players are experiencing only happiness for their battle royale pals.