After collaborating with Marvel for Season 4 of Chapter 5, Fortnite developers have shifted focus towards rap music with Chapter 2 Remix. The new map includes “The Dogpound,” an island where players can befriend Snoop Dogg and have him join their squad. Upon shaking hands, Snoop breaks into a dance reminiscent of the “Crip Walk.”
A visit to the item shop reveals Snoop’s “Crip Walk” as an emote titled “Snoop’s Walk” that users may purchase for 500 V-bucks. “Crip Walk” was developed by the Crip gang as a form of demonstrating allegiance and taunting rival gangs. The inclusion of the walk is dangerous, and Epic Games rebranding the walk for their item shop is even more reckless. Teenagers may replicate the emote in a humorous way, but depending on where they do the dance, it might incite gang violence.
In a 2023 survey published by Julia Faria, the second most popular entertainment brand among boys aged 10-14 was Fortnite.
Children are flocking to the game and discovering the “Crip Walk” as a Fortnite emote. This risks kids Crip walking throughout the streets as they believe it to be the dance from Fortnite. They are not aware of its territorial implications as they merely perceive the walk as being a part of a game.
This raises a much larger question for Epic Games: With frequent collaborations with celebrities and a heavily influenceable player demographic, what role does the company have in creating a responsible and healthy environment for its younger audience?
Fortnite is meant to be a game of escape. It is a battle royale where gamers may play as Marvel’s Wolverine alongside Nickelodeon’s Avatar Aang dancing to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” — which creates a silly and laughable gaming lobby. However, some collaborations lend themselves too much to reality. Where does Epic Games draw the line?
As the company runs out of franchises to collaborate with, they are quickly turning to real-life iconography and with the shift comes complex history and relationships. Moving forward, Epic Games must consider the repercussions of their ideas. Perhaps, it is best for Fortnite to stick to fictitious characters for skin inspiration and outlandish dances like the floss when coding emotes.
