Fortnite dog backpack didn't sit right with players, Epic throws them a bone
Gunner is still a good boy.
This poor doggo caused some controversy for Fortnite players.
Developer Epic Games apologized on Wednesday for releasing a canine cosmetic addition for Fortnite that looked too similar to one players had previously bought. To make up for it, Epic will refund purchases and give players a little extra for their trouble. The move comes after gamers called out Epic for the new Gunner Pet, which looks nearly identical to an earlier doggo cosmetic.
People who bought the Gunner Pet, a cute dog that rides around in players' backpacks during matches, when it was released on Tuesday will receive a refund of 1,000 V-Bucks along with an additional 200 V-Bucks. People who requested a refund before Epic's announcement will get the additional V-Bucks and a reward token for another eligible cosmetic.
"We should not have released the Gunner Pet and apologize for doing so," the developer tweeted.
We should not have released the Gunner Pet and apologize for doing so. Within the next couple of days, all purchases of Gunner will be refunded for the full amount of 1000 V-bucks as well as an additional 200 V-bucks and the Pet will be removed from the Locker.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2019
Anyone who purchased Gunner and refunds it prior to this make-good will instead receive 200 V-bucks and a replacement Refund Token that can be put towards any eligible items that were purchased within the past 30 days.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2019
When Epic tweeted about the Gunner cosmetic on Tuesday, players noticed the dog looked almost exactly like Bonesy, a pet released last year as part of Fortnite's season 6 Battle Pass, the game's regular paid-for package of downloadable content. There appear to be only minor differences between the two pet cosmetics, like a logo on Gunner's neckerchief.
The Gunner Pet released in season 10...
...and Fortnite pets released in season 6, including Bonesy.
Epic's policy for Battle Pass content is that the items will be only obtainable with the Pass. Players can't purchase the skins, pets or other cosmetics separately. In June, a similar situation happened with the release of the Summer Drift skin, which some players said was too similar to a skin released in the Fortnite season 5 Battle Pass.
While a duplicate dog might seem a minor affair, Fortnite is free to play and makes all of its money from these cosmetic additions. Its enormous popularity and gamers' hypersensitivity to being ripped off make any perceived transgression a major PR problem for its developer.
