The 19-year-old Fortnite professional Bucke wanted to participate in a tournament in Denmark and flew 6,500 kilometers from Detroit in the USA to Copenhagen. He now shares how he was sent back by 4 security guards. He apparently violated the rules of Epic Games, and broke the alcohol and smoking ban.
This is the situation:
- From October 13 to 15, a large duo tournament for Fortnite took place in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 50 duo teams from all over the world qualified for the tournament and competed on-site in Denmark for a prize pool of nearly $4 million.
- However, a player from Detroit, USA, was disqualified on-site, about 3 hours before the tournament started. We reported on the incident on MeinMMO. Bucke now recounts how he was informed of the ban. A colleague of his, streamer Clix, reveals the reason for the ban.
Fortnite repeatedly tells great stories about its players:
Pro reports how he was disqualified 3 hours before the tournament and put on a flight
What the US professional Bucke says: In a Twitch stream, which was then shared as a clip, the 19-year-old recounts the moment he was disqualified and immediately put into a taxi to the airport:
[He said to me:] You have to come with me right now. I said: What’s going on? And he said, literally: We have come to the decision that you are disqualified from the FNCS Global Championship. This decision is final, and I can’t tell you more.
I then said: Just tell me why.
But he said: That’s all I can tell you. You’ll get an email with more information when you’re back in the USA.
Then he said: We have a flight for you at 3 PM – it was 12 PM then. There is a taxi waiting outside, you need to take it now.
They had 4 security guards – I think they thought I would react unfriendly. […] I think the security guards thought I would hit them.
Why was he disqualified? Bucke said only that he was told he had violated Paragraph 8 of the rules. Paragraph 8 (Code of Conduct – “Code of Conduct”) requires players to behave impeccably (via fortnite).
As the streamer Clix, who is friends with Bucke, explains, the rules stipulated that drinking and smoking were not allowed at the tournament.
Bucke violated this rule on stream and was therefore disqualified. The players were informed about these rules (via tiktok).
While there is no explicit prohibition of alcohol and cigarettes in the Epic Games rules, since Bucke is still under the legal drinking age in the USA, this could have been his downfall. If Clix is correct in his statement that professionals were explicitly forbidden from smoking and drinking, this could also be a logical reason for the ban.
Bucke seems to find Denmark a bit too great
This is the clip that could have cost him the tournament: Another clip shows Bucke gushing about Denmark:
- Everything is different in Denmark
- The girls are so open, they would go out at 12 years old, visit bars – in the USA, even 17-year-old girls don’t do that
- You can buy beer and wine at 16 – at 18 even “hard stuff.” While saying this, Bucke held up a bottle of “Smirnoff” vodka to the camera.
It is quite possible that Epic Games saw this stream and decided to disqualify the player immediately.
Partner separates from Bucke after the incident
What impact did this have? Bucke’s partner, Okis, with whom he qualified for the tournament and wanted to play, ultimately had to compete alone. He wrote on Twitter: “I worked so hard, for nothing.”
As indicated in another TikTok video, the partner has since separated from Bucke. He wrote that he would like to remain friends with Bucke but could no longer be his partner after the events.
Overall, professionals view Bucke’s disqualification as a clear mistake of the player and not a wrong decision by Epic Games. Generally, the ban is seen more as “disappointing stupidity” on Bucke’s part.
How does Bucke view this now? He seems to recognize the mistake himself now. On October 16, he asked on Twitter: “Why am I just so damn stupid?”
Even during the first big WM, Fortnite back then banned a professional:
Fortnite removes 14-year-old from WM match – This is what he did wrong
