The most recent update during the Fortnite OG Season has included perplexing restrictions from Epic Games. Fortnite, a game primarily about shooting and “eliminating” other people, has implemented age restrictions on cosmetic items (skins, back blings, etc.) featuring weapons.
This comes off the heels of Epic Games announcing the removal of trading from Rocket League, a controversial decision that led to severe outrage from the RL Trading community. And there is little doubt that the age restriction on certain cosmetics in Fortnite is another attempt to align the Battle Royale with EG’s family-friendly image.
Related: Fortnite OG Season Battle Pass: All Pages, Skins, & Cosmetics
Agent Peely Is Too Darn Graphic
When Fortnite’s OG Season entered its third week, players quickly discovered a series of new icons and disclaimers when perusing the Item Shop and Outift tabs. A warning symbol now appears on items Epic Games deems too graphic for experiences rated 12+, and a pop-up stops players mid-purchase to let them know the items they are about to purchase can’t be used in all game modes.
Fortnite is, and always will be, associated with guns and a certain level of cartoony violence. It rose to fame in 2018 as the world’s most popular, over-the-top Battle Royale, and that image is burned into the minds of gamers and parental guardians alike.
That said, Fortnite has made strides to offer more content than just the traditional 100-man fight to the death. Thanks to Creative Mode and UEFN, developers can produce their own in-game experiences, ranging from Joe Biden’s virtual presidential campaign to an interactive Game Awards 2023 voting experience.
With the latest update, each mode is assigned an age rating, with a wealth of cosmetics being banned from entering any experiences rated E for Everyone.
Fortnite Community Confused By Restrictions
Die-hard Fortnite fans didn’t take too kindly to the family-friendly update, many of which took to Twitter to express their discontent. Notable leaker iFireMonkey was among the first, simply stating, “I don’t like this cosmetic update.” The post included pictures of a few skins that seemingly aren’t age-appropriate.
A reply from user Loolo_WRLD highlighted a discrepancy among the skins chosen to be restricted. “How does this make sense,” Loolo captioned a photo of Nalia, an age-restricted ice princess, next to Michael Myers, a serial killer who can freely roam around E for Everyone experiences.
How does this make sense ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ pic.twitter.com/xf8UHfi5Zr
— Loolo l Fortnite Leaks (@Loolo_WRLD) November 16, 2023
That said, notable leaker Shiina claims these restricted items will be playable in all modes again sometime in 2024. The items will be adjusted to keep the cosmetics in line with E-rated content.
