'Gunner' Back Bling Removed from the Item Shop

Yesterday, August 7, Epic released the 'Gunner' Back Bling and faced some backlash. They have since removed the item and compensated players who bought it.

Fortnite, for all of its recent flaws, has always delivered in the cosmetics department. Instead of giving in to the loot-box craze, Epic decided to let players purchase whichever skins they wanted.

This was a breath of fresh air for the gaming community who have been dealing with random loot boxes for the last few years. Games like Overwatch, PUBG, Call of Duty, and even Apex Legends have all handled their cosmetics this way, but Epic went back to the basics.

Industry research shows that selling loot boxes is more profitable - even if it's a PG form of gambling.

I, for one, never liked to roll the dice with loot boxes. The fact that Fortnite let me choose the skins I wanted to buy actually made me spend more money on the game.

Epic might not be listening to our cries to #Vaultthemech, but they've always been on the ball when it comes to selling cosmetics in their free-to-play game.

That was, until last night.

The Gunner

Difference? I see none. from r/FortNiteBR

On August 7, Epic updated the Item Shop with a new Back Bling: Gunner.

As you can see, it's barely even a re-skin of 'Bonesy,' who we got with one of the older Battle Passes and already have at least three variations of.

To their credit, Epic was quick to see the error in their ways. They tweeted that they have removed 'Gunner,' refunded players who bought it and added an extra 200 V-Bucks to their accounts.

Anyone who purchased Gunner and refunds it prior to this make-good will instead receive 200 V-bucks and a replacement Refund Token that can be put towards any eligible items that were purchased within the past 30 days.

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 14, 2019

Now, it seems like buying Gunner went from one of the silliest moves to one of the best moves you could make as a Fortnite player. In less than a day, you get an extra 200 V-Bucks along with a free refund token.

I'm at the point where I wish I bought Gunner when he was on sale. I'll be on the lookout for the next duplicate item Epic adds to the shop.

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