Just before the grand finals of the Fortnite Champion Series, a three-player team was barred from competing due to a hateful tweet by one of the players. Fortnite has become a global phenomenon and one of the most popular esports ever created. In 2019, Fortnite player Bugha won the Fortnite World Cup and became the winner of the highest individual payout of an esports tournament. Bugha’s success didn’t stop at his $3 million win, though, as he even appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Getting to play in a Fortnite tournament could mean big things for a player, whether they win first place or not, as Fortnite tournaments payout in huge social media exposure. However, all dreams of becoming instant celebrities quickly went down the drain for one Fortnite team.
Fortnite teams are much like any sports team. Players sign contracts, oftentimes with large sign-on bonuses, and begin playing for a team in hopes that both wins and exposure will boost the team to the top. Players as young as 8-years-old have signed-on to be part of a Fortnite team; 8-year-old Joseph Dean earned a sign-on bonus of $33,000 for joining Team 33. Teams are as important in esports as they are in basketball or football, and each player must pull their own weight to help lead their team to victory. Unfortunately, individual players can also drag their whole teams down.
Reported on by PC Gamer, a three-player Fortnite team was banned just before the Fortnite Champion Series Grand Finals, losing their chance at a prize pool of $3 million. The team was banned for an offensive tweet one teammate directed at the Epic Games Chief Creative Officer, Donald Mustard, telling the executive to commit suicide. The tweet has since been deleted, along with the offending player's Twitter account. The entire team was quickly disqualified, including Wrigley, the tweeter, as well as teammates Dictating and Userz.
Few gamers argue that Wrigley didn’t deserve the ban, but many fans had a hard time swallowing the fact that both Dictating and Userz were banned as well. The tweet was solely written and posted by Wrigley, and his teammates claim they had no idea he was going to send it. Since the 2021 Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) had a total prize pool of $3 million, with first place teams went home with a total $300,000, the two other banned teammates were rightfully upset at their disqualification. Just by playing in the finals, players could walk away with $600, and Dictating jokingly tweeted to Donald Mustard asking if the player could receive their $600, because child support isn’t cheap.
While the disqualification of both Dictating and Userz was a disappointment to both the players and Fortnite fans, there is no doubt that Wrigley was rightfully banned. The tweet was a distasteful and extremely offensive way to express dissatisfaction at Fortnite’s creators, and Epic Games needs to hold players accountable for their actions. The question is whether it was right to ban the entire team, as an emergency sub-in could have at least earned the team a nice $600 payout. After playing in the entire Fortnite season, both Dictating and Userz were upset that they lost it all because of one inexcusable action by their teammate.
Source: PC Gamer