We’re about to start our end-of-year LAN, to find the new champion of Fortnite. But the player coming in as the most successful of the last year and one of the defending champions… is in a bit of trouble. A lot of players are asking is Peterbot banned from Fortnite?
The player might have on five out of the last six FNCS tournaments, but he’s had a video released showing him saying some racial slurs. Which has naturally led to a pretty big backlash against the player. It’s not entirely unheard of for esports players to get banned for these kinds of things. Especially in a game like Fortnite, but given his prime position in the competitive lobbies at the moment, it could have major ramifications on future events like the LAN.
Is Peterbot banned from Fortnite and should we expect anything to actually happen?
Is Peterbot Banned in Fortnite?
This weekend, a clip was released that caused people to wonder is Peterbot banned in Fortnite. It’s an old clip, by a few years. Where upon some egging on from other players, Peterbot says a number of racial slurs.
The player has taken to twitter to explain himself. While the explanation does add up with what’s seen in the video, it’s also clearly AI written and shows a clear lack of care about the backlash. If he can’t even write his own apology, a lot of people will doubt the sincerity. He posted:
“A video has surfaced of me using a racial slur while at the “agent house”. This incident took place when I was 16 years old. At the time, I was in an environment where I was heavily influenced by others and was asked to say it. That does now excuse my words, but it is important context for understanding the circumstances.
I recognize now how deeply wrong and hurtful that language is. I take full responsibility for saying it, regardless of my age or the pressures I felt in that moment.I want to sincerely apologize to the communities affected and to anyone who has been hurt by my words. I am committed to continuing to learn, grow, and ensure that my actions moving forward reflect respect and understanding.”
This does add up with the players behaviour in the clip, who is physically looking around for reassurance from the other players in the room. But it’s not an excuse to use this kind of language. Clearly someone has been sitting on this clip for quite a long time. The whole thing is making the houses of pros seem like a breeding ground for bad behaviour. However, Peterbot has not been banned. And a wide ranging ban for this clip seems unlikely.
Will the Clip Do Lasting Damage?
Peterbot might not be banned in Fortnite, but that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. A video like this will likely write him out of certain opportunities in the game in the future. Major winners in Fortnite’s past have gotten Icon Series skins, like Clix and Bugha. If Peterbot manages another LAN win, one of these could have been on the cards. That looks really quite unlikely now. Any announcement of the skin would be met with a video of the player saying racial slurs.
It could also impact the relationship with sponsors and other sources of income outside of Fortnite tournament winnings. Although plenty of esports orgs, sponsors, and more have shown no interest in a player’s personal behaviour, so it’s unlikely to have a huge effect here.
Ultimately, the reaction to the Peterbot video is going to depend on how the competitive community judges it. If they decide to take his explanation at face value, it’ll probably be forgotten about pretty soon. It wouldn’t be the first-time fans moved on quickly from the controversy. But it could discredit Peterbot in some people’s eyes for a long time to come.
