Fortnite isn't just a game. It's a platform. Fortnite is the place you go to advertise an IP, movie, or entertainment property, or to even hold an interactive concert. It's a billboard that can broadcast a huge message. Even still, Epic is taking a somewhat muted stance against the civil unrest in the United States.
As the world's biggest companies rally against police brutality and proclaim black lives matter, some like Epic Games have yet to use their powerful billion-dollar megaphone to do the same. But Epic is doing something in their own way. Today Epic has removed all police cars from Fortnite's in-game map as a symbolic protest against the slaying of George Floyd and the resulting riots, protests, and civil revolution that's surging across the United States.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Epic doesn't feel this move is explicitly political. "I wouldn't say it's a political statement. I think it's just us being sensitive about the issues many people in our audience are dealing with," an unnamed Epic rep told the WSJ's Sarah Needleman.
Fortnite remains one of the games industry's most prolific and widespread banners. It's not only a huge money-maker that rakes in billions for Epic Games, it's a kind of cultural phenomenon that ties people together. So whether or not Epic wanted their decision to be a political statement is moot--it's decidedly political, and like everything hosted on the game, it sends a message.
