Fortnite is blocking some outfits in experiences made for kids

Fortnite just started showing age ratings for every experience you can play in the game, but as a result of those changes, some in-game outfits can’t be used in experiences that are rated Everyone or Everyone 10 Plus, according to a blog post from the Fortnite team.

For example, while writing this article, got my game set up to visit the E-rated experience themed around The Game Awards while wearing one of the outfits you can earn from this season’s battle pass. When in the Fortnite lobby, there was a notice that “your selected outfit can’t be worn in experiences of this age rating” — which was surprising to me, because nothing about the outfit struck me as particularly offensive.

But when I tabbed over to my locker, where Epic lets users can swap outfits and virtual gear, there was a warning icon over that the accessory on my back — a metal cat / car / ball thing — couldn’t be used in experiences rated Everyone 10 Plus or lower. When I loaded into the experience, the game removed the accessory entirely. Epic’s blog post doesn’t specify what criteria makes an outfit unsuitable for some experiences, and when I asked for details, Epic spokesperson Jake Jones pointed me back to the blog post.

In that post, Epic added an update that says 7 precent of outfits are only compatible with experiences rated Teen. However, that update also says Epic will, over “the next year,” change things so that “most” blocked outfits can be used in all experiences by “having them auto-adjust appearance.” Spokesperson Dan Walsh provided the hypothetical example of Fortnite removing a gun attached to the leg of the Agent Peeley outfit.

“We likely won’t be able to find a solution for every cosmetic, particularly in instances where it would require a complete reimagining of the Outfit, but we’re working to address as many as we can,” Walsh said.