Fortnite Disables Peacemaker Dance Emote, Promises Refunds

Fortnite has disabled the new Peacemaker dance emote after the latest episode of Season 2, promising to issue refunds if it does not return.

For context, the latest episode revealed that Peacemaker’s supposedly ‘perfect dimension’ is actually Earth-X, a reality where the Nazis won World War 2. Hence why his father, a suped-up KKK henchman, is regarded as a hero.

A popular fan theory on the intro dance, which was used for the emote, has been gaining traction amid this reveal. Some speculate that the arm movements are intended to form the shape of a swastika, and have been subtly foreshadowing the alternate dimension from the very beginning.

Epic Games Will “Inquire Into [Its] Partner’s Creative Intentions”

It’s unclear if this was intentional or if fans are reading too much into the dance, but that’s exactly what Epic Games is investigating. “We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote,” it stated. “Assuming it’s not coming back, we’ll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry, folks.”

Some argue that the dance doesn’t form a swastika because when the two arm movements are overlaid, it actually creates the letter ‘H’, but others suggest that “it’s meant to evoke the symbol”, not depict it 1:1. With so much debate around the dance, it’s no surprise that Epic Games shelved it for the time being, given the potential for it to be used as a hate symbol.

While refunds have been promised, players suggested that they would be happy if Epic Games were to replace the emote with the Season 1 dance intro instead. No decision has been made yet, and it’s still up in the air whether the arm movements are supposed to evoke or represent Earth-X, but in the likelihood that they are, and the dance is permanently vaulted, tapping into Peacemaker’s first season would be a welcome compromise.