Obviously, Epic Games did not expect this.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a game filled with emotes – it's a key part of monetizing the game. The flashy and stylistic art direction is embraced by these emotes, with many of them (the dances in particular) becoming mainstays of internet culture. This is one of the main reasons why Fortnite has become the iconic game we all know today.
But an abundance of emoticons has a downside. When communication options are limited, players will strive to overcome these limits. And in an environment like this, it was only a matter of time before players did what they do best. The Bear Hug emote provided the opening people were looking for.
HELLO????
WHY DID SHE COME IN FOR A HUG LIKE THIS pic.twitter.com/BGYdTjGIud
— This Jackalope Liv (@DatOneJackalope) August 6, 2021
This… interesting scientific discovery was created by combining hugging with well-timed squatting – two simple ingredients with an unforgettable result.
Needless to say, Epic Games was not very happy. Players took an otherwise healthy emote and gave it a sudden, less healthy twist. The corrupted emote only existed for a few hours before Epic pulled the plug, disabling it and removing it from their in-game store.
Given Fortnite's target demographics, this was probably a reasonable choice.
The Twitter post announcing the emote's removal was sparse (for obvious reasons) and a refund policy was put in place for those unlucky enough to have an emote removed.
The Bear Hug emote will remain disabled while we resolve an issue with the emote.
Players who have already purchased the emote will be able to issue a token-free refund next week.
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) August 6, 2021
This announcement, however, disappointed many players. The emote was taken down so quickly after its release that many never had a chance to use it. A few players have even stated that they prefer to keep the now disabled emote on their account, for various reasons.
At the very least, they said the emote would only be disabled temporarily. Once the NSFW elements of the Bear Hug emote are cut out, players will once again be greeted with the wholesome pleasure of a big, comfy hug.
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