Players slam Fortnite’s leaked 1,500 V-buck sidekick pets and permanent style lock

Fortnite players are tearing into Epic Games after leaked shop prices revealed the upcoming Sidekick pets will run 1,200 to 1,500 V-bucks each. But the real gut punch? You get one shot at customizing your pet’s appearance, and then those choices are locked forever.

The pricing leaked on Reddit yesterday, sparking immediate backlash across both r/FortNiteBR and r/FortniteLeaks. Players aren’t just upset about the cost—they’re furious about having to rebuy the same pet multiple times just to try different color combinations. Want your dog in red instead of blue? That’ll be another 1,500 V-bucks, thanks.

“How much gambling debt is Tim Sweeney in?!” one frustrated player wrote, pointing to the flood of recent collaborations and now pets being sold at skin-level prices with permanent style locks. They’re not alone; hundreds of comments call the system predatory and greedy.

According to Epic’s announcement, players can customize each Sidekick’s physical appearance — fur color, patterns, horns — exactly once after purchasing. While you can unlock and swap accessories like hats and shirts by earning Sidekick Points through gameplay, the base appearance stays locked. It’s basically the Maya skin situation from Chapter 2 all over again, except now you’re paying premium prices for each variation.

Multiple players drew comparisons to Kicks, the shoe cosmetics that never gained traction due to inflated pricing. “I’ll take whatever free ones we get and call it a year,” wrote one commenter, with dozens echoing the same plan. Another noted they’ve stuck exclusively to free Kicks and cars and plan to do the exact same thing here.

So if someone wants three different color variants of the same Sidekick, they’re looking at dropping 4,500 V-bucks minimum. That’s more than most legendary skin bundles. Even longtime players who’ve defended Epic’s monetization in the past admitted they can’t justify this one. “I have played Fortnite for 8 years, I cannot defend this Epic,” one player wrote.

Some suggested Epic might walk this back like they did with car and instrument pricing after community pushback. But others pointed out that Kicks never got adjusted despite similar complaints. The fact that these pets are only visible to the player using them makes the pricing sting even more.

The first Sidekick, a banana-themed dog called Peels, drops in the Battle Pass on November 1 alongside the Simpsons collaboration. Bonesy, Spike, and Lil’ Raptor hit the shop on November 7. For most players, though, that free Battle Pass version might be the only Sidekick they ever bother with.