Fortnite has announced the temporary disabling of its controversial age restrictions on cosmetics, a move that received a mixed reaction from the game’s community. In a post on its website, the developers stated that the disabling is intended as a temporary measure while they work on a more permanent solution. The developers’ message is as follows.
We hear your feedback & are back with more info ❤️🩹
Until we have our long-term solution, cosmetic gating will be off for the majority of cosmetics, starting with the v28.00 update.
And you can use any cosmetic at our next big in-game event.
More: https://t.co/8lr8192puH
Cosmetic gating will be disabled for the majority of Fortnite cosmetics until we have a long-term solution in place. This change will start rolling out with the v28.00 update on December 3, 2023.
We were conservative in how we reviewed cosmetics and their potential impact on an island’s rating. We are evaluating all cosmetics again now.
A small number of existing cosmetics and less than ten Outfits will remain playable only in T-rated (or regionally equivalent rated) islands because of their obvious fear or violence elements.
We’ve been deep in the comments over the past few days and we’ll keep working on getting this right.
Following the outcry over the age restrictions, the announcement of the disabling of cosmetic gating was met with a generally positive response within the Fortnite community. Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, has committed to exploring the possibility of implementing cosmetic restrictions in the future.
There is uncertainty regarding which specific skins may be affected, but speculation among fans points to the Xenomorph skin and the severed head of the Immortal as likely candidates. These developments come at a time when Fortnite has experienced a resurgence, partly fueled by the release of Fortnite OG, which resulted in record-breaking engagement for the game. For more information, be sure to consult our comprehensive guide to Fortnite OG and much more.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
