‘Fortnite’ Failed To Ban Players From Cracking A Whip In Its MLK Experience Despite Disabling Almost Every Other Emote

• Fortnite caught even more heat for its controversial Martin Luther King Jr. experience after it continued to allow players to use the “Whipcrack” emote after banning almost every other reaction from that section of the game
• The oversight is thought to be connected to a contractual obligation with DC Comics, as the move is part of a promotional bundle
• Read more about the video game here

Last week, the internet hit the folks behind Fortnite with a collective, “I’m sorry, you what now???” after learning a video game that had previously shaken things up by hosting virtual concerts headlined by Travis Scott and Ariana Grande had decided to incorporate another notable name: Martin Luther King Jr.

Some people commended Fortnite for attempting to expose a younger demographic to the ideas the civil rights leader espoused in his “I Have A Dream Speech” by featuring the address in the digital version of Washington, D.C. that was constructed to host what was dubbed the “March Through Time.”

However, those supporters seemed to be in the minority, as the announcement not only generated a tidal wave of negative reactions but resulted in the foundation his wife founded following his assassination to publicly distance itself from the project before his daughter Bernice did the same.

Now, even if you ignore the inherent bizarreness of the move and the questionable optics of inserting an advocate of nonviolence who was shot and killed into a game where players celebrate headshots by dancing, anyone who’s ever spent more than two seconds in a Call of Duty lobby knew Fortnite was just begging online trolls to figure out how to ruin things for everyone.

To the shock of no one, they did exactly that.

pic.twitter.com/dR8Kdj0TkV

— Imperator (@notmilena) August 28, 2021

On Friday, Fortnite enacted a ban on all emotes aside from those deemed “part of the experience” to cut down on disrespectful players only to find itself in hot water yet again after an incredibly unfortunate oversight: it had neglected to disable one that allowed characters to pull out a whip and crack it.

I shouldn’t have to explain why this isn’t the best look, but if somehow you’re not sure what I’m talking about, a good place to start would be to Google “slavery in the United States.”

It was initially unclear why this emote managed to fall through the cracks, but it appears the issue stems back to a contractual agreement concerning a DC Comics bundle that featured the “Whipcrack” move that prevents it from being removed.

https://twitter.com/Win98Tech/status/1431814603512729601

Everything is dumb.