Fortnite's New Dog Is A Reskin Of An Existing Pet [Update: Epic Apologizes, Removes Skin From Sale]

Update: Epic has now confirmed it will roll back on its decision to release the familiar-looking dog skin in Fortnite. In a statement to GameSpot, an Epic Games spokesperson said: "We should not have released the Gunner Pet and apologize for doing so.

"Within the next couple of days, all purchases of Gunner will be refunded for the full amount of 1000 V-bucks as well as an additional 200 V-bucks and the Pet will be removed from the Locker. Anyone who purchased Gunner and refunds it prior to this make-good will instead receive 200 V-bucks and an additional refund token that can be put towards any eligible items that were purchased within the past 30 days."

Original story follows.

Epic has always made a big deal out of the fact that the cosmetic items contained in Fortnite's Battle Pass are exclusive to the pass and will never be sold separately. This provides an extra incentive for Battle Pass owners to keep coming back and playing every day, knowing that they only have one season to unlock every unique item available.

So it's disappointing that today's Fortnite shop update has arrived with a very familiar-looking pooch. Season 6 of the Battle Pass introduced pets to Fortnite as a type of back bling, including everything from dogs to dragons and chameleons. Bonesy was one of these pets--a small dog with a scarf--and had various styles throughout season 6, all more elaborate than this new store item.

Gunner, as the new pet is called, is a simple reskin of Bonesy. He has a slightly lighter shade of fur, is wearing a mask, and has a small skull logo on his scarf, but that's about it. Epic isn't fooling anyone.

Reddit user PhantomRacer32 made the following comparison to highlight the similarities or lack thereof:

Back in June, fans claimed Epic had already reneged on its self-imposed rule by selling a beachwear version of season 5 Battle Pass character Drift. However, the model had a new hairstyle, a completely new set of clothes, new accessories, and a separate back bling item, so it was somewhat justifiable. The same cannot be said of Gunner.

The Fortnite Battle Pass costs 950 in-game V-Bucks. The cheapest V-Bucks bundle you can purchase is 1000 for $9.99 / £7.99, leaving you with a few leftovers to spend. By comparison, Gunner costs a flat 1000 V-Bucks--more than a Battle Pass--for a barely noticeable reskin.

It sets a worrying precedent moving forward if Epic decides to sell previous Battle Pass cosmetics separately with only slight tweaks.

Fortnite Season X Coverage

• Fortnite Season 10 Battle Pass: Skins, Price, How It Works, And More
• Fortnite Season 10 Battle Pass Rewards: Skins, Emotes, Back Bling, Pets, And More
• Fortnite Season 10 Update Notes: BRUTE Mech, Rift Zones, And More
• Fortnite Season 10: Big Changes To How Daily & Weekly Challenges Work
• Fortnite Season 10 Map Changes: Rift Zones, Comet, Skeleton, And More
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