A 9-year-old from Brazil has been banned by developer Epic Games from Fortnite – apparently because he was too young to play in Arena mode. This has stirred the community in Brazil: They are demanding his release and trending the hashtag #FreeZenon on Twitter.
This is why the boy was banned: The 9-year-old player Victor “Zenon” Hugo played the Arena mode of Fortnite. This is the competitive mode through which players qualify for tournaments. The mode is rated for ages 13 and older.
Zenon received the news that he was banned for 1,460 days, which is 4 years. When the boy received the ban, he was visibly crying. When the ban expires, he would be 13 years old and could then legally play the mode.
Although the 9-year-old played with the permission and supervision of his father, the ban was still enforced.
As indicated in the ban message in Portuguese, the boy was banned for being “younger than allowed.” The duration of the ban is 1,460 days – 4 years.
Such long bans are rare in Fortnite. While the proven aim-bot user FaZe Jarvis was once banned for life, otherwise even professional players caught cheating typically face only a temporary penalty.
#FreeZenon trends on Twitter
This is the reaction: Under the hashtag #FreeZenon, many users are now posting on Twitter. They are urging Epic to lift the boy’s ban. He hasn’t done anything wrong; he is simply focused on playing.
People say: “It breaks my heart to see him cry like this.”
The hashtag has accumulated 91,000 tweets in less than 12 hours. People are tagging Fortnite professionals like Tfue, Ninja, or Mongraal to draw attention.
This is how streamers respond: The streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has already responded. He states: The boy should not be banned from Fortnite altogether.
They just need to keep him away from the modes that involve money. He has no business in the competitive modes at age 9; they are for ages 13 and older. However, that is no reason to exclude him from “all of Fortnite.”
Professional player and Twitch streamer at 9
This is the boy: The Brazilian player Victor Hugo is known as Zenon. The boy has just signed a contract with “Detona Gaming,” a well-known Counter Strike team, and is therefore formally a professional player.
As a Brazilian site reports, the 9-year-old is fully supported by his 30-year-old father. The father says the boy started watching gameplay and became enthusiastic about Fortnite. Previously, Zenon had played Battlefield. For Fortnite, he then switched from Xbox One to PC.
The boy is also active on Twitch, although you are generally supposed to be 13 to stream there. However, the father operates the channel and supervises.
The boy has an agreement with his father: He is allowed to play as long as his school grades are okay.
#FreeZenon would be hardly conceivable in Germany
What’s behind it: In Germany, such a “rescue operation” for a minor player would be hardly conceivable.
In Germany, the age rating of games like Fortnite is seen as a serious matter and a binding recommendation. Players under the age recommended by the USK are viewed critically, and such topics are commented on with concern. Concerned citizens see the welfare of the child endangered.
In other countries, “minor gamers” who play with the consent of their parents are not viewed as critically. There, playing children seem to have more sympathy, and the ban then evokes pity.
Recently, MeinMMO reported on a 9-year-old player in Destiny 2 (rated 16 and older) who was viewed very critically by readers.
