Fortnite is always looking for ways to connect with its audience, and it is no secret that the target audience for the popular battle royale game is mostly younger than some of the other popular games. It’s a more family-friendly battle royale than most, using the word “elimination” rather than “kill” and featuring no blood.
However, a recent ad, which has since been deleted, went live and featured several highly inappropriate slang terms, seemingly aiming at an older, edgier audience than usual.
For the most part, despite it featuring primary directive to eliminate every other player, Fortnite is a notably kid-friendly game. It’s not graphic, violent, or adult in the broader sense of the word. The art style and the gameplay are pretty innocent, and it’s tough to characterise Fortnite as a “violent” game based on art style and direction alone.
In recent months, the overall narrative has shifted a little bit, including more adult-themed skins. Peter Griffin, Kim Kardashian, and The Bride from Kill Bill are not exactly things geared towards kids. Still, they are considered relatively “friendly”-
What is not really friendly is the latest fortnite ad. In a shocking twist, the ad went full adult content. It had the following phrases framed like reviews on a movie:
The swear words are one thing, but that third and final username is another entirely. Jonesy is the de facto main character of the game, but that last word in his name is something you’d find on Urban Dictionary, and not in a good way.
The ad was taken down after being up for almost two hours. The game has not released an official statement about the ad, though it was clearly regrettable. The official Fortnite account has mainly been posting about new additions, including the new Batman Beyond collaboration.
The Status account has only posted once in the last 24 hours, and it had nothing to do with the ad, so it seems as if this controversial ad is being ignored. Epic Games may be hoping the problem goes away on its own.
So what happened here? It’s impossible to say, but the most plausible explanation is that some social media manager/intern went rogue and tried to be funny in an edgy way, and it backfired.
The alternative is that Fortnite thought it would be a good idea and immediately regretted it, but that seems unlikely.
Featured image via HYPEX on X
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