Fortnite Dev Explains Why A Popular Item Was Removed

Epic has been introducing new items and weapons to Fortnite on a nearly weekly basis since the title’s become a global hit, but to keep the item pool balanced, the developer also periodically moves some into the “vault,” effectively removing them from the game. At the start of Season 6 last week, the studio vaulted an inordinately high number of items, and now we know why one of them was removed.

On Twitter (via Fortnite Intel), Epic Games Community Coordinator Sean Hamilton explained why the Bouncer was among the items removed from Fortnite last week. “[W]e removed Bouncers due to the influx of recent mobility items as well as more that we have planned for the future,” Hamilton wrote.

Hamilton also reiterated that vaulting items doesn’t necessarily remove them from the game permanently; some previously vaulted weapons have since been reintroduced to Fortnite after being reworked, leaving open the possibility that the Bouncer–or any of the other four weapons Epic recently removed–could come back down the line.

It remains to be seen what other kinds of mobility items Epic has in the works for Fortnite, but the studio rolled out a new type of trap with this week’s 6.01 update: the Chiller. When the trap is triggered by another player, their feet will freeze together and cause them to slide around.

Season 6 of Fortnite kicked off on September 27, and since them, some unusual things have been happening in the game. Most notably, the floating island that rose from Loot Lake began moving around the island, leaving glowing craters in its wake.