On the weekend, there was a major discussion on Twitter about a player in Fortnite: He had posted an openly racist video. The player “Sin” had just qualified for an important final in Fortnite. But whether he can actually participate in the FNCS Grand Finals seems uncertain after the massive uproar. Epic Games, the operators of Fortnite, have not yet commented.
What is causing the uproar? The eSports journalist Jake Lucky shared a controversial clip of the Fortnite player “Sin” on Twitter a few hours ago.
He looked at an arsenal of firearms and said: In the event of a zombie outbreak or if the blacks rise up, he would be ready with the firepower and ammunition.
He described the scenario of a black uprising using a racist term.
Lucky mentioned: The player had just qualified for the important FNCS Grand Finals tournament that day. He says it is simply “crazy” that such individuals exist in the eSports environment.
Player qualifies for tournament for $130,000
What kind of tournament is this? In 2019, there was a massive world championship in Fortnite for many millions of US dollars – those days are long gone. For years, eSports in Fortnite has been conducted through a series of online tournaments: Players then try to collect as many kills as possible and survive for long periods in “Random Rounds”.
The “FNCS” is the Fortnite Champion Series. It is played in duos. The grand final will take place next week, with 50 teams having qualified for the individual final rounds of each region.
The player Sin secured a spot in the Grand Finals in North America East on May 22 with his partner Acro in 3 games, the largest region there. In Session 3, they even scored a victory, which was enough for 6th place in the round (via fortnitetracker).
Sin will be participating in the Grand Finals with his partner, where they will compete for a prize pool of $130,000.
The key information about Fortnite:
Player does not understand the uproar – He is not threatening anyone
What does the player say about the video that makes him look so bad?
Sin has since deleted his Twitter account. However, there is a tweet from him saying: He does not understand what is so bad about it (via twitter).
He is only saying: In case it happens, he is prepared. He is not threatening anyone. People should just listen carefully to what he is saying.
Expecting a ban from Epic Games
What is the reaction? Right now, many seem to find it unbelievable that Epic Games has not intervened yet. They supposedly have the information:
- A user says: he has ended his own career in a 10-second video.
- Others say: Such videos are the reason that the Fortnite community has a bad reputation.
It is likely that Epic will exclude the player from further tournaments.
That there is no room for such statements in the USA, even for young professionals, is shown by examples from Fortnite:
Fortnite pro (16) goes racist on Twitch – Clan punishes him immediately
