Fortnite Removes Travis Scott Emote Following Concert Tragedy
Fortnite is an expert at adding new stuff to the game, but it’s not often they're taken away. The game prides itself on its extensive list of IPs buried in a long list of skins, emotes, sprays, back bling, and more. It’s almost concerning how much Fortnite has attained the rights to, including characters from movies, TV shows, video games, and even real people.
It’s the latter that has caused Fortnite some trouble recently, though. In the wake of a very real tragedy, Epic Games has pulled the Travis Scott emote from its stores.
Fortnite Travis Scott Emote: Why Has It Been Removed?
Epic Games has removed the "Out West" emote from the Fortnite store in the wake of the tragedy that occurred at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival. During the first day of the festival on November 5, eight people were killed and hundreds of others were injured as fans crammed to see the concert.
The aftermath has seen public outcry and some blaming Scott directly. The festival’s consequent days have been cancelled, while Scott along with Drake are being threatened with legal action. Critics have called Scott out for reportedly continuing his performance for more than 30 minutes - after the police had declared it a "mass-casualty event".
Keen to distance itself from any controversy, Epic Games has stopped players from buying the Travis Scott emote from the Fortnite store.
Fortnite Travis Scott Emote: Will It Return?
The emote itself hasn’t been banned, per se - instead, the 'daily' tab in the item shop has been disabled. It’s a big step to make, but Epic has directly announced that the tab won’t be going ahead today. "It’s known that the ‘Daily’ section of the Item Shop has been disabled. This is intentional and the ‘Daily’ section will return with the next Item Shop refresh."
Fans in the replies have commended the Fortnite team for the removal - as it definitely isn’t the time for a Travis Scott emote to be put on display for all to see. In the wake of the tragedy, most have agreed this is the right move. There’s no word on any Travis Scott cosmetics making a return, so for the time being, don't expect to be using the "Out West" emote in the battle royale giant.