Epic Games has disabled almost every emote during Fortnite’s March Through Time event due to player misuse. March Through Time is an interactive experience in Fortnite celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington. Players can walk a virtual version of 1963 Washington D.C., complete with the United States National Mall and Lincoln Memorial. A segregated bathroom and other references to the Jim Crow laws are displayed like museum attractions throughout the area. All the while, a recording of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech plays across from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where the Civil Rights leader once spoke 58 years ago.
Fortnite has held several events beyond the battle royale and Save The World game modes. Last month, Epic Games partnered with Ariana Grande to create a virtual concert for players to enjoy. In addition to concerts, movie screenings, trailer reveals, and more have happened within the game. Fortnite also held an educational event before March Through Time by airing We The People, an anti-racism movie. Additionally, a panel was held with prominent Black sociopolitical figures about voter suppression and how it affects the Black community.
As reported by Kotaku, players will be limited to the emotes provided for March Through Time in response to some players using emotes inappropriately. Curiously, Epic did not initially prohibit the use of certain emotes or skins regardless of the potential for players to abuse the large array available to them. As a result, players could interrupt the solemnity of the exhibition by performing some of Fortnite's infamous dances, including the outdated Gangnam Style emote that was added earlier this year. In response, a Fortnite Status update announced that all emotes would be disabled in the March Through Time experience, except for the handful of emotes that were added for the event itself.
Epic Games may have to take further action to stop some of the disrespectful actions occurring in the game. A serious topic like this might seem an odd choice for a bombastic game like Fortnite. However, previous events like the aforementioned voter suppression panel, as well as the events held to bring attention to Fortnite's own legal dispute with Apple and Google, demonstrate that Fortnite has the capacity to tackle major issues alongside its more traditional comic book crossovers and alien invasions.
Players can still jump into March Through Time at the time of writing. Hopefully, the disabled emotes discourage disrespectful players from trying to disrupt the experience for others. Whether or not the actions taken by Epic Games will continue in future educational Fortnite events is unclear at the moment.
Fortnite is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android and iOS.
Source: Kotaku, Fortnite Status/Twitter