Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has acknowledged an issue with the battle royale game's selection of vehicles, confirming its plans to introduce balance adjustments in the game's next update. The issue comes from Fortnite's new selection of cars, which puts players who choose not to spend real money at a disadvantage.
Last month, Fortnite launched the Chapter 5 Season 3: Wrecked update, which saw the game shift focus onto vehicles. While third-person shooter elements are still in the game, there's a wider range of wasteland-themed vehicles primed for destruction and speed, adding more vehicle traversal and combat gameplay to the mix. Some of the new vehicles are available for free in Fortnite, while others require payment to unlock them.
Now, gamers recently discovered that it's easier to get killed if they get on a "free" car than a premium car. Of course, players complained online as they felt that this directly contradicts Epic's claim that cosmetics offered in the game's item shop don't provide any kind of advantage during gameplay. Following the backlash about this unfair advantage, Epic Games shared a short statement to Kotaku on Tuesday, officially confirming the developer is working on a fix. "We're aware of the issue and have a fix planned for an upcoming build," Epic said.
Fortnite streamer NickEh30 clarifies disadvantages
Popular Fortnite streamer NickEh30 took it to X to share his thoughts about Kotaku's report on the issue about the pay-to-win cars in the game. He explained that he demonstrated that both free and paid cars offer disadvantages with the larger windshields. "There are cars that are free (Octane) and paid (Cyclone) which have a SMALL windshield and are better to use because you can't get shot," he tweeted. "There are cars that are free (Whiplash) and paid (Scorpion) which have a LARGER windshield making it worse to use because you can get shot.
Hey @Kotaku, your article about pay-to-win cars in Fortnite is wrong and misleading. I demonstrated that BOTH free and paid cars offer disadvantages with the larger windshields. More research is needed before publishing these kinds of articles, please and thank you.
— Nick Eh 30 (@NickEh30) June 4, 2024
• There are… pic.twitter.com/KRGAnbhud2
The streamer also recently shared a TikTok clip that showed him entering a Whiplash car, one of the free vehicles offered in the game. The car has a large windscreen, allowing players to get hit from a wider range of angles than some of the premium vehicles. He also enters a Samurai, a car that can only be unlocked by paying real money, demonstrating that its smaller windscreen make it harder for players to get hit and killed.
@nickeh30 Pay to Win Cars in Fortnite
♬ original sound - Nick Eh 30
This is not the first time Fortnite's car skins have been accused of offering players an advantage. When the game added car cosmetics last year, players reported that some skins had different hitboxes, which could provide a slight advantage in certain situations. However, the latest issue involving windshields seems more problematic. It's assuring to hear that Epic is already working on balance changes to address this troubling issue, so we can expect the fix in the next update.
