Epic Games has facilitated plenty of collaborations, but this one is causing a bit of controversy. A British Army recruitment promo has seemingly been pulled from Fortnite.
Spotted by the good people at Eurogamer, social media posts and a trailer teasing a custom mode from the British Army as part of its recruitment drive have been deleted, which led to speculation that the mode is being shelved due to backlash.
Military recruitment comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s not uncommon to see the U.S. military have a presence at large events, including comic book conventions. However, it’s a different story when the recruitment heads into a space dominated by children, which one can argue gaming is. And Fortnite may be the biggest game of all.
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Many concerned people have been quick to point out the issues with recruiting children, while others have taken to making light of the ridiculousness of the situation. “Can’t wait to train for the british army as Omni man in Fortnite!” said adrien3280 on X.
According to the trailer, the mode was “not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games.” Regardless, Epic addressed the situation in a statement sent to Eurogamer. “This island has not yet been published to Fortnite (ie. it is not accessible to players) and is undergoing moderation, as does all content in the Fortnite Ecosystem, and must adhere to our Content Guidelines and Creator Rules,” an Epic Games spokesperson said.
A livestream was planned for Jan. 24 to show off the mode. British YouTubers Yung Filly and Elz The Witch were set to be part of the event, but with the map still “undergoing moderation,” it’s unclear if it will still go on.
Fortnite is available to play now on various platforms, including the Meta Quest 2 and 3.
