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Epic Games has taken the step to disable a Fortnite emote inspired by the HBO series Peacemaker following revelations in the latest episode that may have changed its interpretation.
Readers should note that this article contains spoilers for Season 2 of Peacemaker.
The “Peaceful Hips” emote, introduced in the game on September 15, replicates the dance moves performed by John Cena’s character, Christopher Smith, during the opening credits of the show’s second season. The emote allows players to apply these dance motions to any character, showcasing a brief flailing of the arms at right angles paired with a seductive hip shake.
After the sixth episode of the season, titled “Ignorance is Chris,” some fans began to view the dance in a more troubling context. This episode revealed that the alternate universe central to the season’s story is dominated by swastika-bearing Nazis, which raises concerns about the arm movements in the emote being interpreted as a reference to Nazi symbolism.
“[In] season 2 there’s a lot more of the story of the season in the intro, [in] the first season there wasn’t as much of a reference to the story,” choreographer Charissa Barton said in a video interview released by Warner Bros. last month.
The opening dance sequence to Season 2 of Peacemaker.
Re-evaluating the implications
Fans have been discussing hints about the Nazi themes evident in the show since the second season began airing. However, the explicit confirmation in the recent episode prompted Epic Games to reassess the emote promptly on Sunday night.
The official Fortnite Support account announced, “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.”
This focus on “artistic intent” from Epic may seem perplexing, especially since there is no implication in the show’s narrative that supports a pro-Nazi message. Nonetheless, the limited context of a brief dance clip can lead to interpretations that evoke problematic symbols without the accompanying anti-Nazi themes presented within the series.
Questions remain regarding how much insight Epic had into the show’s narrative when the emote was initially launched. What might have appeared as a lighthearted homage to the show’s opening dance could have raised concerns had Epic been aware of the complete storyline ahead of time.
On social media, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn had previously highlighted the emote’s debut, describing it as a “peace-spreading, hip-swaying” dance.
This is not the first time Epic Games has encountered controversies with its dance emotes. In 2021, the company removed a Travis Scott-themed emote following a tragic incident at one of his concerts. Additionally, last year, Epic allowed individual users to opt-out of certain emotes deemed “confrontational” in competitive play settings.
Epic Games has also faced legal challenges regarding potential copyright issues tied to its emotes featuring specific dance styles. A related lawsuit was settled out of court last year under undisclosed terms.
[This story originally suggested that Sunday’s episode was the season finale. The publication regrets the error.]
