Fortnite Peacemaker emote disabled two weeks in after people spot hidden meaning in “Peaceful Hips” dance

Fortnite has been rolling out tons of collabs (the Daft Punk one just kicked off), so it’s no surprise that every now and then one stirs up a bit of controversy and end up getting disabled. This time, it’s the new Peacemaker dance from Season 2 that caught people’s attention, with some players pointing out it looks a little too much like a certain symbol.

Peacemaker emote pulled from Fortnite

The “Peaceful Hips” emote was introduced in Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 4 on September 14. But just two weeks later, on September 28, Epic posted on X that they’re removing it:

The emote, based on Peacemaker’s Season 2 intro dance, was said to resemble a swastika. Some players think that’s just wild speculation, while others argue that even if it wasn’t intentional, including an emote that could be linked to hate symbols would hurt the game’s reputation.

A few fans also pointed out that better communication between Warner Bros. and Epic about Peacemaker Season 2’s themes might have prevented the whole thing. In Episode 6, “Ignorance is Chris,” the series reveals an alternate universe inspired by Earth-X, a world ruled by Nazis. This scene shows Nazi imagery and symbolism as part of the story.

Source: Fortnite; Developer: Epic Games

Some see Epic’s move as overcautious, but this isn’t the first time Fortnite has pulled content. The proximity chat mode “Delulu” got banned after just a weekend because of harassment and inappropriate behavior, with thousands of players banned and reminders to report misconduct. And after the Astroworld tragedy, Fortnite removed the Travis Scott “Out West” emote from the store.

So, this kind of carefulness isn’t new, and it probably won’t be the last. Epic recently issued up to $126 million in refunds after settling with the FTC over unfair billing, so it’s clear they want to avoid any potential controversy.

Fortnite

September 26, 2017

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