Black Twitch streamer believes zombie in Back 4 Blood insults him racially

The new co-op shooter “Back 4 Blood” (PC, PS5, Xbox) is currently in beta. However, players are encountering a voice line that they perceive as a racist insult. This does not seem to be intentional, but still shocks a Black Twitch streamer.

Here is the situation:

• On August 5th, the early access beta started for pre-order customers of the 4-player co-op title Back 4 Blood on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC (on Epic and Steam).
• In the game, zombies make grunting and groaning noises, as nature’s laws for zombies require.
• Most of the time, the voice lines are unintelligible and sound more like a “Oh, there’s a zombie” signal, but players hear a racist slur that starts with “N” and should never be said.

“What did you just call me?”

This is the scene: The Twitch streamer HomBke streams to an average of about 40 viewers and has been showcasing the new beta of “Back 4 Blood” on his channel since Thursday.

In one scene, he is simply moving around, looting things, shooting with a machine gun, and doing zombie-hunting things when he suddenly hears this slur. He pauses briefly in confusion and asks: “What did you just call me?”

Apparently, HomBke is not the only one this has happened to. Another Twitter user shared a clip in which the offensive slur is clearly audible.

More on the topic

People demand that Twitch ban a streamer with Tourette’s due to the N-word

von Schuhmann

This is how it is being discussed: On Twitter, people are debating whether the zombie actually says the word or if it’s just a grunt or groan that is interpreted as a slur.

There is also a tongue-in-cheek discussion about what consequences the slur should have for the zombie: They can’t really be “canceled” or otherwise punished – as is usually the case. Because the zombie is already in the worst possible condition.

Others say: If you dish it out, you must also be able to take it. The user in the second clip also called the zombie a “Big Fuck”.

One can assume that this particular sound line will not survive the beta of Back 4 Blood.

The “N”-word and whether or not the word was actually said is always a heated topic of discussion in online role-playing games and on Twitch:

WoW: Several Twitch streamers were banned for saying “Naga”