British Army Abandons Plans for Fortnite Tournament
The British Army has decided to forego its plans of organizing a live competition between influencer teams on a customized Fortnite map. The project, known as Operation: Belonging, was revealed last week in a dynamic video showcasing the specially crafted map that would serve as a battleground for influencers Yung Filly and Elz the Witch. However, the video has since been deleted, leaving only the intention behind it: “Hey young man! Join the army!”
Text overlays on Fortnite gameplay further confirmed this goal, with messages such as “You’re here in your place. Act as one. Test your skills. Solve the puzzle. Overcome obstacles. Put your training to use.”
While the American military has faced criticism and negative reactions for its gaming initiatives, it is surprising that the British Army decided to follow suit. Comments on social media described the idea as “wild like Black Mirror,” “inappropriate,” “immoral,” and other similar terms. Inquiries about the army’s favorite war crime were left unanswered, with the army choosing not to respond.
Epic Games declined to comment on the army-created map, except to mention that it went through the standard moderation process. As commercial and sponsored content promoting military recruitment is not allowed by Epic’s rules, it could have been a challenging endeavor. However, this no longer matters as the entire project has been canceled.
The British Army stated to PC Gamer that the map and live tournament were intended solely to increase awareness about the army’s role and value. However, they were not meant for children, as the participating influencers were predominantly 18 years or older, and the army planned to enforce an 18+ age restriction for viewers. While the map itself was not intended for public release, it was specifically created for live streaming purposes.
Like their counterparts in the US, the British Army has been struggling to meet recruitment goals in recent years. According to a report published in January by UK Defence Journal, the army has not met its annual recruitment targets since 2010. Perhaps this was a result of necessity being the mother of bad ideas.
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The source of the article is from the blog radiohotmusic.it