Well, it’s safe to say nobody saw that coming. In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, Epic Games has locked down ‘around 7%’ of all skins and put them behind age-related blockers for some maps. This is reportedly an effort to ‘protect’ younger players from content that might be deemed inappropriate, but it’s a move that has made the Fortnite community furious – with many of them demanding refunds on some items.

For certain ‘Rated E for Everyone’ maps in Fortnite, cosmetics that are quantified as being inappropriate for minors are being locked down. Even if you’ve paid hundreds of dollars to secure a wide array of skins, they might all suddenly be locked behind an impenetrable barrier – for now. It’s a sizeable list that’s impacted, with hundreds of skins being blocked from use on maps that are targeted for everyone – including the youngest of players.

Blanket Policy

Image Credit: Epic Games

Epic Games’ decision to lock up and block hundreds of skins is being questioned by fans the world over. Some confusing items have been included in this shutdown, including some emotes that seem as though they have absolutely nothing explicit in them at all.

So, what exactly has been included in the new age-restriction-related policy from Epic Games?

Well, if your skin has anything to do with ‘a gun’, it’s blocked. That means if a weapon is in a holster or a sheath, or if the outfit shows anything from ammo clips to explosives, it’s being blocked. This impacts loading screens, skins, emotes — everything. It also targets items that are classed as ‘scary’, but that’s almost entirely subjective if we’re being honest.

It’s a haphazard mix for some. For instance, double knives have been blocked, but single weapons, like one knife or a sword, are totally fine and permitted under the new ruling.

Related: What Fortnite OG Weapons Have Returned?

But Why?

In a new step by Epic Games to prevent minors from being exposed to inappropriate content, there’s now a requirement to show age ratings for every Fortnite Island in the works. That concept extends to cosmetics, of course. Here’s the latest from Epic Games:

‘More on today’s rating announcement. About 7% of Fortnite Outfits can only be equipped in islands rated Teen. Over the next year we will enable most of these Outfits to be compatible with all ratings by having them auto-adjust appearance based on the island you want to play.’

There’s a plan to adjust the new changes to make them more user-friendly, but it’s not known when that change will take place. Until then, users will find their sometimes expensive cosmetics locked out of various islands.

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