Epic Games community manager Sean Hamilton gave some insight as to why the Bouncer item was vaulted at the start of Season 6 in Fortnite.
Bouncers originally introduced to Fortnite Battle Royale in the V4.3 patch on June 5. The item is a variation of the original Jump Pad that gave a vertical or horizontal boost to players without the worry of taking any fall damage.
The item quickly rose in popularity with both the competitive and casual community as it provided for tons of mobility and allowed players to easily reposition during hectic fights.
Much to the chagrin of the Fortnite community, however, Bouncers were put into the vault with the release of the V6.0 patch that dropped on September 27. At the time, no reason was given as to why the popular item was vaulted.
In a recent Twitter exchange, community manager Sean Hamilton shed some light on the reasoning behind the polarizing move.
In response to Hamilton asking players what their favorite Fortnite items were, Twitter user ‘VonEklund’ expressed his concerns about the absence of the item and stating that Bouncers would allow for “a more balanced style between build-fighting, engage/disengage or just the possibility to avoid getting 3rd partied after a huge build fight.”
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Hamilton started his reply by reassuring VonEklund, and the entire Fortnite community, that “anything that is Vaulted always has the potential to come back.”
I appreciate the thought out feedback as to why you'd like them back. 1st, understand that anything that is Vaulted always has the potential to come back. 2nd, we removed Bouncers due to the influx of recent mobility items as well as more that we have planned for the future. 🙂
— Sean Hamilton (@MrPopoTFS) October 2, 2018
Additionally, Hamilton hinted at the possibility of new items, saying that Bouncers were “removed due to the influx of recent mobility items as well as more that we have planned for the future.”
Fortnite is no stranger to new items, with Epic adding in fresh weapons and other items to the game on a weekly basis.
While there’s no official word just yet on when players can expect a new mobility item, or perhaps simply a modified version of the Bouncers, we hope that the wait isn’t too long.