Emotes have always been a topic of discussion in Fortnite ever since the game was launched. An added element of lightweight fun was the intention at that point in time. What started with a simple “Take the L” later gave birth to a ton of emotes that absolutely tilted players. Now, the likes of “Laugh it up” and “whipcrack” have been included in the banned list of emotes. Was this change needed? By the looks of it, the damage has already been done. Read on to find out how this new ban is implemented.
How to disable Toxic emotes in Fortnite
In a recent update, Epic rolled out the new feature called “See confrontational emotes”. This new feature is enabled on all accounts by default. Players can change this new feature by accessing the “Account-Privacy” section from the settings tab. Similarly, for players who want to see all the emotes which include the so-called “toxic” ones, they’d have to manually enable it themselves. Players with toxic emotes set to on will see opponents standing still whenever a toxic emote is in play.
Players who have bought these emotes can still use them in-game, and these emotes will be visible to them. It’s only when spectating other opponents that the “See confrontational emotes” come into play. Epic clearly wants to make Fortnite less toxic and more wholesome. The company clearly plans to divert themselves from being just a “battle royale” game to building a gaming ecosystem.
Disney’s investments in Epic might have fueled this decision.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Disney had bought a part of Epic Games. With Disney being a household name in almost every country, the company has big plans in gaming. To create a genuine impact in gaming, Disney would need to clean up anything that’s remotely provoking. Hence, this might be one of the first steps taken by the company to ensure a healthy platform. While no official collaborations with Disney projects have been announced, it won’t be long until we see a string of Disney-related releases hitting Fortnite soon.
With the latest Billie Eilish promo kicking in, Fortnite’s roadmap already looks appealing. Disney’s involvement has not yet been highlighted, but the leaked roadmap shows many other collaborations that might happen this year. By the looks of it, 2024 might be the year Disney projects start taking over the Fortnite universe.
Do players get refunds for the banned Fortnite Emotes?
As of now, there has been no official confirmation as to whether players will be offered a refund in V-Bucks. It only makes sense for players to be refunded if they can’t use the emote for trolling anymore. Though the player itself can see it, emotes like “Laugh it up” are meant solely to annoy the enemy. This should be an interesting situation that will be brought up in the coming weeks by players.
Another question in the minds of many players is whether the emote will be back in the item shop again. In case Epic announces that these emotes will no longer be in the store, players who already own it might be blessed with exclusive emotes. I’d personally recommend players not to go for a refund in case Epic does offer it. The likelihood of it not coming to stores again is relatively high. Already exclusive skins and items have hiked the value of Fortnite accounts to the thousands. In the future, this might just be one of those emotes that will turn into an exclusive, something every Fortnite collector dreams of.
