On Sept. 28, Epic Games disabled the Peaceful Hips emote in Fortnite, due to concerns that the actions in the emote might be interpreted as imagery of the Nazi party. The gesture had been part of a crossover with the DC series Peacemaker.
The controversy was based off “Peacemaker” Season two, episode six, which revealed that the show’s alternate America is one where Nazis won World War Two. In that context, fans noticed the emote’s arm movements resembled a swastika, fueling accusations that the dance was intentionally referencing Nazi symbolism.
Epic responded publicly, announcing it was temporarily disabling the emote while it figured out the intentions of DC when collaborating to make the emote. The company also said they would offer refunds to users who had purchased the emote and modify the choreography in an upcoming update. “Fortnite was put in a tough position but I think they handled it well by removing the emote and offering refunds to people who bought it,” said senior Ammar Bazaraa.
The developers made it clear that there had been no creative intention to connect the dance to Peacemaker’s wartime imagery. This controversy was a result of the unfortunate timing of the storyline reveal that the alternate universe in Peacemaker was a Nazi run society. This was revealed after the collaboration with Fortnite had already happened. Warner Bros. Games, the partner behind the “Peacemaker” franchise, has also distanced itself from the alleged symbolism. “Companies should stay far away from associating themselves with the Nazis, especially ones that have a large child audience,” said Bazaraa.
Critics and observers were quick to criticize the decision to disable the emote. Some argued the emote’s resemblance to a swastika was coincidental and that context matters for Fortnite. This is especially problematic on a family-friendly platform like Fortnite where over 50% of players are under the age of 17. “Fortnite is a major company so they should not be making crazy mistakes like this,” senior Thomas Bacon stated.
Some fans point out that this is not Fortnite’s first emote controversy since the game has previously removed and revised previous dance features in the game due to public pressure. The incident raised questions about the unintended consequences of symbolic content in the media.
Looking ahead, success of Fortnite’s promotions will depend not only on altering arm angles or steps, which are necessary, but on rebuilding trust with parents who felt uneasy about the possibility of extremist ideas spreading on a game for kids. For Epic, the stakes are extremely high as Fortnite remains one of the biggest platforms in gaming, and preserving its public image is a top priority.
