Fortnite disappoints everyone with a horrible in-game feature

Fortnite has been on the receiving end of criticism for quite some time now. Since the start of Chapter 3 Season 3, fans have been voicing their discontent over the XP grind. The more recent fiasco involved the game completely breaking for reasons unknown, but that is something not in the developer's control.

However, when it comes to things that can be controlled, Epic Games often makes good decisions, be it crossovers or competitive playoffs. But it would seem that their latest calls have not been up to the mark, leaving many fans disappointed.

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Bound Fortnite cosmetics are bad for business

When it comes to creative control, Epic Games gives players the freedom to use cosmetics they own in-game with any character they see fit. This leads to some of the craziest outfit combos in-game. While they may not look great, it does appeal to individual players.

However, off late, the developers have been gatekeeping and bottlenecking certain cosmetics. The latest of these is Gaara (outfit) and Gaara's Sand Cloud (glider). Based on the description set in-game, these two cosmetic items can only be used with each other.

Given that these Fortnite cosmetics are paid for by the user, either directly or indirectly, limiting their use makes no sense. Here is what a few fans have to say about the matter at hand:

While this is upsetting to a few, the argument that companies want exclusive cosmetics for their characters is a fair assessment. However, Epic Games seems to be doing this even with their original characters.

For instance, the Queen's Procession (glider) can only be used by those wearing the Queen's skin. Since Epic Games owns the character, gatekeeping and limiting the use of the glider makes no sense. But there could be a valid reason behind this as well.

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Integration of cosmetics in Fortnite is not easy

As seen time and time again, integrating cosmetics is not the easiest of tasks. Some items, when used on certain skins, break the cosmetics and cause glitches, leading to unpleasant gaming experiences or graphical errors.

Since some animations for cosmetic items are more complex than others, perhaps limiting them to certain outfits is the best option. This is why the Queen's Procession (glider) is hardlocked to her outfit only. While it is disappointing, it's probably done with good intentions.

A good example of why this type of gatekeeping is necessary can be seen in the Go Cat Go Kit emote. When used while wearing the Kit outfit, the emote functions perfectly. However, when force-used in other outfits, it looks like something one would see in a horror movie. The skins are contorted and warped out of shape.

Thus, while it may seem that Epic Games is limiting players' usage of cosmetics after buying them by spending V-Bucks, it is far from the truth.