Fortnite Players Protest Prices, Yet Sidekicks Still Dominate the Store

Fortnite’s new Sidekicks have sparked one of the most divisive debates in recent memory for Epic Games, yet the studio’s data shows they’re already topping the in-game sales charts. Despite a week of player outrage over steep pricing and restrictive customization rules, the Sidekicks appear to be selling faster than any other recent cosmetic addition.

According to Epic’s own in-game listings, Sidekicks now occupy the top slots in the “Best Sellers” category. The lineup includes companions such as Spike and several others released only a day earlier. Each Sidekick costs between 1,200 and 1,500 V-Bucks—well above what many players are willing to spend on non-playable items. That hasn’t stopped them from moving in large numbers, even as social media channels and community forums filled with posts urging players to “vote with their wallets.”

Sidekicks function as a new generation of Fortnite pets: AI-driven companions that accompany players across matches, adding a visual flourish and occasional flair animation. Their appeal lies partly in novelty—the feature had been absent from Fortnite’s ecosystem for years—and partly in design quality. Each Sidekick is distinct in style, built to complement different skins and themes across the game’s rotating shop. But what should have been a straightforward cosmetic update instead reignited criticism over Epic’s pricing strategy.

Customization, usually a hallmark of Fortnite’s appeal, is locked behind single-purchase models. Once a Sidekick’s appearance is set, players can’t alter it without repurchasing the entire item. For a community used to freely mixing outfits, colors, and effects, the restriction struck a nerve. Many long-time players called it the “last straw” in an escalating trend of premium content gated behind redundant purchases.

As commentator HYPEX pointed out on X (formerly Twitter), Sidekicks are already the best-selling items in Fortnite’s shop since launch. The data, as displayed in-game, suggests that vocal opposition hasn’t dented the mode’s commercial performance. For some fans, this undermines calls for collective restraint against Epic’s monetization tactics; for others, it simply confirms Fortnite’s enduring commercial gravity.

Epic has not publicly disclosed specific sales numbers, and skepticism remains over how “Best Sellers” are determined. The label tends to favor new releases and limited-time cosmetics—products Epic naturally wants to promote. For years, players have questioned whether these rankings reflect real sales or curated marketing intended to spotlight the newest items. Still, the visibility of Sidekicks within the storefront reinforces their dominance, regardless of how those figures are generated.

The situation encapsulates Fortnite’s ongoing tension between creative innovation and economic saturation. Epic continues to experiment with forms of in-game identity—pets, emotes, custom outfits, now Sidekicks—while expanding the ways those items are monetized. The outcome often feels circular: outrage fuels discussion, discussion drives curiosity, and curiosity drives sales. Each new controversy ultimately folds into Fortnite’s self-perpetuating ecosystem of attention and commerce.

Even players critical of the pricing have admitted that the Sidekicks, as cosmetic design, represent one of the better visual additions in recent seasons. They animate smoothly, integrate seamlessly with character models, and add a small but distinct presence to every match. For many, the purchase was less about necessity than about participation in the current conversation surrounding the game.

Whether Epic’s ranking reflects organic demand or calculated visibility, the outcome remains the same: Sidekicks have solidified their place in Fortnite’s evolving market structure. Their success also underscores the difficulty of pushing for collective change within a player base that exceeds 100 million users. Complaints may trend, but purchases ultimately dictate direction.

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