Fortnite releases 'worst update ever' as players locked from wearing purchased cosmetics

Fortnite players are dubbing the game's latest update as the “worst update ever”. Not only are creator islands now age-restricted, but players are also locked out of their equipping some of their purchased cosmetics.

The mandatory age map ratings, which have been rumoured for a couple of months now, have finally landed to the sound of sighs rather than applause. In-game experiences, known as ‘islands’ among the fandom, now each have their own age rating in a bid to help both parents and gamers make informed decisions about what is played.

Fortnite OG continues!

To make matters worse, and this is the real problem, a portion of the in-game cosmetics aren’t “compatible” with some regional age ratings, thus rendering them unusable; it’s an issue that Epic Games draws attention to in their press release about the update. It reads, “A small portion [of cosmetics] are not compatible with E or E10+ (or regionally equivalent) game ratings. In these cases, players will notice a new icon in their Locker and in the Item Shop indicating which outfits and accessories cannot be equipped inside islands below a certain rating’s threshold.”

Apparently, this is an incredibly poor decision by Epic Games, as detailed by Twitter user @FNLeaksAndInfo, “Well, this may just be one of the worse updates to date.” The comment already has 114 likes, which, while not viral figures by any stretch of the imagination, goes to show how turned off by the update fans are.

From there, it's explained that equipping an item not allowed on a restricted island will result in an alternate option being chosen, with Epic using the example of a character being placed into a default outfit. An attempt to soften the news is made by the publisher, with it stating that “there are thousands of Fortnite cosmetics available for all experiences”. Somehow that doesn’t make this situation better. This comes at a time when Fortnite OG has been deemed as a major downgrade when playing without the “lens of nostalgia”.

As someone who doesn’t play Fortnite, I’m not in the best position to say whether this is a poor update or not. Still, while I lack experience with the game, these changes sound like a hindrance more than a help to the majority of gamers - especially when you consider that many of these cosmetics will have been purchased for hefty amounts with players' own real-life hard earned cash.