Epic Games remove Gunner Pet from stores, issues refunds

Olivia Richman Published 15/08/2019

After harsh criticism from the Fortnite community, Epic Games has removed Gunner Pet from the store. 

Gunner was only available for part of one day before Epic Games removed the pet from the store, as well as from the Locker of anyone who purchased him. Any player who purchased Gunner was given 1,200 V-bucks, which is 200 more V-bucks than the cost of Gunner. 

“We should not have released teh Gunner Pet and apologize for doing so,” Epic tweeted. 

This apology came after the majority of Fortnite players rejected Gunner because of its alarming similarities to a previous dog, Bonesy. In fact, there were barely any differences at all. The new dog looked suspiciously like Bonesy, except it had slightly darker fur and differently colored eyes. 

This side-by-side comparision was created by a Reddit user. The ensuing thread gained a lot of traction, along with others on Reddit, with Fortnite fans pointing out the extreme similarity Gunner. 

What really bothered Fortnite players the most about this lazy skin was that Bonesy was supposed to be a Battle Pass-exclusive item when he was introduced in Season 6. The addition of Gunner took away that exclusivity. 

Epic Games called out for its skin releases

In June, Epic revealed the Summer Drift Skin, a 1,500 V-buck styling of a skin already available with Season 5’s battle pass. Fans immediately called the developers out, pointing out that the in-game battle pass FAQ states that battle pass items are “exclusive in-game rewards that will not be obtainable again.” 

While the skin did look more noticeably different than Bonesy’s counterpart, fans feared that this would start becoming a trend if other players accepted the lazy reworks. 

“It started with Summer Drift, but people mocked those who said it’s a slippery slope. If people are really ok with the criteria of ‘not identical’ then I bet in a month we’ll see a wave of BP restyles hit the item shop,” one Reddit user pointed out. 

Luckily, Epic Games seemed to do right by their players by issuing a refund with a small bonus. Many Fortnite players responded positively to Epic’s note on Twitter. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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