The British army shuts down the Fortnite project after heavy criticism

THE British Army came under intense criticism a few weeks ago after promoting a bootcamp-themed island in Fortnite.

Fortnite has an exceptionally young player base: more than 60% of players are under the age of 24.

Despite this, The Army teamed up with popular streamers Elz the Witch and Yung Filly to promote the Fortnite bootcamp to their young and impressionable audience.

The British Army promoted the island and streaming event on social media and quickly received a huge response from users.

Both streamers were scheduled to participate in an event on January 24, but it was canceled due to public outcry.

The Army Island never went live on Epic Games and the developer stated that it would be “under moderation.”

Moderation was not necessary, however, as the British army appears to have removed the island itself.

The terms of use for Fortnite explicitly state: “Commercial content and sponsors must follow all of the above content rules and the Epic Content Guidelines, and may not […] promoting enrollment in the military.”

Speak with Esports News UK an Army spokesperson denied that the boot camp island was designed to actively recruit new members.

They said: “We are always looking for innovative ways to reach a wide audience and raise awareness of what the military does.

“[This] involves demonstrating our characteristics and values, such as communication, problem solving and teamwork.

“The initiative never included active recruitment and there was no direct link between the game and an Army Jobs application.

“However, after consultation with our industrial partners, we have decided not to proceed with the project.”

Although the original promotion did not ask players to sign up, the purpose of the island and the event seemed clear to fans.

If you want to read more about the game, check out the new TMNT Fortnite collaboration.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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