Fortnite Removes Peacemaker Emote

While pop culture crossovers have proven incredibly profitable and popular for Fortnite, the recently added Peacemaker Season 2 Peaceful Hips Emote has quickly embroiled the battle royale game in controversy, and Epic Games has already made the decision to disable the dance move. It has not yet been fully clarified if the emote is officially gone or if there is a chance it could return after a thorough investigation, and audiences are already divided on whether Fortnite is taking appropriate action in light of the emote’s apparent issues.

The Peacemaker TV show from Warner Bros. stars John Cena and follows the titular mercenary superhero enacting his own form of justice against a variety of foes. In Season 2 of Peacemaker, the former Suicide Squad member finds himself in an alternative universe where Germany reigned victorious after World War 2. With this in mind, many have been shocked to see an unfortunate similarity between the new Fortnite dance emote and one of the most notorious symbols in history.

Fortnite Peacemaker Dance Emote Controversy

On September 28, the official Fortnite social media accounts announced that the Peaceful Hips Emote would be disabled while Epic Games inquires into the “creative intentions” behind the dance. The emote sees Cena’s Peacemaker performing a squared arm movement that many quickly likened to possibly resembling a swastika when viewed from certain angles. Considering the storyline, thematic elements, and central details for Peacemaker Season 2, many felt that perhaps there had been a miscommunication during the creation of the emote, allowing inappropriate content to make its way into a game played by fans of all ages. Whether there was a failure by Warner Bros. to inform Epic Games of the TV show’s projection remains speculative, but audiences are demanding answers from both companies.

Fans are presently split on whether the Peaceful Hips Emote is truly representative of a hate symbol, with many arguing that a majority of players never would have made such an observation in the first place. Others counter that, even if unintentional, it could be sending the wrong message to audiences, particularly younger players. Epic Games has stated that it will issue refunds if the emote is fully removed, but some fans feel simple reimbursement is insufficient, with suggested compensation ranging from a replacement with a Peacemaker Season 1 dance emote to a free emote from the Fortnite shop.

As audiences remain divided on whether the Peaceful Hips emote should remain in Fortnite, many are questioning the review process for how content gets added to the game. Previous Fortnite dance emote controversies were resolved reasonably quickly, but considering the subject matter of the Peacemaker dance, many wonder if Epic Games will be extra cautious before making any final decisions on how to proceed with this particular emote and any future content additions to Fortnite.