Summary
Fortnitedecided to retract its new policies regarding age-restricted content due to negative reception from fans.Fortniteis one of the best battle royale games, and it has a huge fan base, but the community became very angry after the new update, and several clients started asking for refunds, which prompted Epic Games to dismiss the changes.
The controversial change happened a few days ago whenFortniteintroduced age-rating restrictions for skinsin Creative Mode, which allows players to create a customized experience. However, the newly imposed restrictions on the skins players could use were not very consistent. For instance, harmless skins such as Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Agent Peely were restricted, while some others like the horror character Michael Myers were not. This prompted a huge backlash from the community, as the players paid for these skins using V-Bucks, and demanded refunds in case they could not be used during the game.
Now, due to the backlash, Epic Games has decided to go back on its controversial decision toenforce age ratings on cosmetics inFortnite. In a recent tweet, the company acknowledged that its new plan for cosmetics “didn’t hit the mark,” and that the team is currently working to offer more options that will be better accepted. The tweet also hinted that some of these new options would be introduced in a “sort of big in-game event,” but it was not clarified when this event would take place.
WhileFortniteis often played by children and teens, and some kind of protection for these players may be deemed necessary, many players are asking for a system that actually makes sense and is not so restrictive. For now, it remains to be seen how Epic Games will react to these demands from the community in the long term, though, as its future plans forFortniteare not clear.
Discussions about children and which content they can access in games have been very frequent lately. For instance, the popularRobloxrecently received a lawsuitfrom the parents of some of its players. The lawsuit accused the company of violating California’s laws by falsely advertising itself as a safe space for children. According to it, the filtering tools used byRobloxwere not enough to prevent the harassment of underage players. In bothRobloxandFortnite’s case, it remains to be seen how each company will balance the demands of protecting children against harmful content and keeping its player base satisfied.
Fortnite
WHERE TO PLAY
Create, play, and battle with friends for free in Fortnite. Be the last player standing in Battle Royale and Zero Build, experience a concert or live event, or discover over a million creator made games, including racing, parkour, zombie survival, and more. Each Fortnite island has an individual age rating so you can find the one that’s right for you and your friends.Explore large, destructible environments where no two games are ever the same. Team up with friends by sprinting, climbing and smashing your way to earn your Victory Royale, whether you choose to build up in Fortnite Battle Royale or go no-builds in Fortnite Zero Build.Discover even more ways to play across thousands of creator-made game genres: adventure, roleplay, survival and more. Or, band together with up to three friends to fend off hordes of monsters in Save the World.
