A Peacemaker emote in Fortnite has seemingly blindsided Epic Games, after a twist in the show has made people reassess its meaning.
Peacemaker season two’s latest episode has caused a stir after it revealed the true nature of its alternate dimension, but the twist has inadvertently impacted Fortnite.
A cosmetic bundle based on John Cena’s Peacemaker debuted in Fortnite earlier this month, complete with dance emote which replicates the character’s dance from season two’s opening title sequence.
While the dance itself looks innocuous on the surface, it has been given new meaning after the sixth episode of season two, which has seemingly thrown Fortnite developer Epic Games into a tailspin. If you’re looking to avoid spoilers for Peacemaker season two, look away now.
In the sixth episode of season two, titled Ignorance Is Chris, we discover the alternate dimension Peacemaker has found solace in isn’t as idyllic as it first appears. After his friends travel to the dimension to convince him to return home, they point out how something feels off – specifically that there’s no people of colour anywhere.
This leads to the reveal that the dimension is actually Earth-X, a reality where Nazis rule the United States. The twist was foreshadowed in the show at various points, and some believe John Cena’s dance in the opening sequence is a nod to it, through flapping arm motions which (at a stretch) resemble a swastika.
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After people began to make the connection, Epic Games disabled the Peacemaker ‘Peaceful Hips’ emote in Fortnite on Sunday, September 28, three days after the episode aired.
‘We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote,’ a post from the Fortnite Status page reads on X. ‘Assuming it’s not coming back, we’ll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks.’
While it’s unclear if the dance is actually a subtle reference to the Nazi twist (show creator James Gunn hasn’t confirmed either way), it sounds like the possibility has taken the developer by surprise.
Whether it’s a reference or not though, the emote’s new connotations are dicey in the realm of Fortnite – both in its exposure to younger players and because emotes can be attached to other character skins in the shooter, which are based on other popular IP.
However, if this is the reason why it has been removed, it does raise questions around why Epic Games hasn’t taken action against other similar situations in the past.
Just recently, a Tylil Dance emote featuring the Kanye West track Violent Crimes was released in the game, a rapper who literally described himself as ‘a Nazi’ earlier this year, before he walked back the comments in subsequent posts on X.
There are other thorny examples too. US singer Dv4d, who recently launched a song in collaboration with Fortnite, is currently part of a police investigation after the body of a missing teenager was found in a Tesla rental linked to the artist.
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