Epic Games has actually pulled a fast one on Fortnite players. The last-minute major and big change has completely turned the people upside down and made them confused. The Billy skin that was supposed to be part of the item shop rotation was removed literally one hour before the shop was supposed to reset. Indeed, one hour before.
Reliable leaker HYPEX, who hinted at the removal hinting it was “most probably postponed to another day”, shocked the public with the news. But the question is why? It seems like the perfect timing is just… odd. Players were all kitted out and set to acquire this new cosmetic, then poof. The cosmetic vanished. No explanation provided, no “sorry folks” just an imperceptible taking away that has set the community abuzz with theories.
What about the replies to HYPEX’s tweet? They are downright fascinating. One user Evolved Studios goes with the reply, “@HYPEX Leakers only lie now dawg 🥲” which really expresses the prevailing vibe of mistrust. Are the leakers wrong every time or is it that Epic Games changed their mind just before the very last minute? It’s total chaos. Then comes Pinkeopinke who is completely fed up and instead of that demanding “@HYPEX Put beach bomber in the shop buddy” in fact. Talk about one’s priorities. Everyone has their own list of likes and dislikes.
This is not the first time that the Fortnite community has undergone such an experience, but still, it is very upsetting when an item which was anticipated by many is suddenly postponed without any warning. For the players, the item shop is part of their daily activities in the game – they log in, check what’s new, and possibly buy a new skin. Disruption of that routine, especially when there is no communication, leads to a lot of rumors. Could there be a bug with the Billy model? Perhaps they discovered something unintended… Is it being pushed to a more “strategic” date, perhaps to coincide with an event or another big update?
These kinds of puzzles are the ones that keep the Fortnite community wide awake. One minute you are thinking about your next purchase, the next you are diving into Twitter threads and Reddit threads trying to decipher what really happened. The lack of clear communication from Epic may be somewhat annoying, but it is for sure. A very simple tweet from the official account saying “Hey, Billy’s been delayed, sorry!” would make a huge difference. But instead of that, we are left in the dark without any directions and have to engage in plenty of guessing.
The item shop has now become very reliable and effective. The schedules are normally very strict and leaks give players a notice of several days in advance. Thus, when something is removed so suddenly, it does not feel like an accident. It could be an honest mistake. Nobody knows! The uncertainty is what makes it the worst part.
Currently, all that the players can do is wait and see when – or if – Billy finally makes his grand entrance. He may show up tomorrow, perhaps next week. Or he may turn out to be one of those legendary skins that people talk about but never actually see, forever locked in the decision-making vault of Epic. Only time will reveal.
In a more significant way, a delayed skin is nothing but a minor annoyance. Fortnite has numerous issues to handle, like new seasons, collaborations, and updates, all of which are larger than the delayed skin. However, the little odd and strange occurrences? They keep reminding us that a very popular game owned by a large company can sometimes be very messy. The human side of it – the occasional mistake, the last-minute changes – is what makes the entire live service game landscape really… interesting. And frustrating. But mainly interesting.
The PlayStation and Xbox communities often face similar issues with exclusive content.
