The Fortnite Peacemaker emote was pulled by Epic Games on 28 September due to new context around the dance revealed in the show’s latest episode.
The emote, called “Peaceful Hips,” inspired by John Cena’s character, shows Peacemaker swinging his arms stiffly at right angles while thrusting his hips.
In a statement posted on X, Fortnite said: “We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we inquire into our partner’s creative intentions in this collab emote. Assuming it’s not coming back, we’ll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks.”
Spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 ahead.
The decision follows a major twist in Episode 6, which opens with Cena’s character performing the dance, followed by the revelation that he is living on Earth-X, an alternate reality where the Nazis won World War II and control the United States.
In light of this, viewers have pointed out that the emote’s rigid arm movements and hip thrusts take on new associations of swastika imagery and Nazi symbolism.
The dance was seemingly a foreshadowing technique for this twist; however, Epic Games were reportedly unaware of the emotes true meaning and decided to pull it from the game after the episode aired.
X user @OCDMacGeek commented: “@JamesGunn Was it meant to be an X for Earth X, and you didn’t think of the other implication? If it was meant to be what we all think, I don’t think you should have put it into the Emote.
“I get that you are subversive, and I respect that. I am also 100% certain that your intentions with the story are good. But, not everyone knows you — we paid for a Nazi dance we didn’t know about, which is a little gross, and it isn’t great.”
As of now, neither James Gunn nor HBO Max has publicly commented on the emote or its removal.
As Epic Games discuss their partner’s creative intentions, if the dance is indeed linked to Nazi imagery, it is unlikely the Peacemaker emote will return.
Players who purchased the emote can expect refunds within the coming week.
Fortnite is available now on console, PC and mobile.
Words by Libby Jennings
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