Fortnite Creative map mocks Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Epic Games under fire

Fortnite Creative is a place where community members can indulge in making their own custom experiences, and share them with the world. With the introduction of UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite) the types of maps being released have changed in many ways. There are now custom bosses for players to fight and more dynamic objectives to complete, but not everyone is using these tools in the right way.

On October 12, 2023, it came to light that a Creator known as "charoonie," took the liberty of creating their own custom experience in-game. While this sounds harmless enough, the map in question was called "Palestine VS Israel PVP." Suffice to say, given the ongoing conflict that erupted last week, the backlash from the community has been fast.

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Epic Games brought under fire for allowing "Palestine VS Israel PVP" Fortnite map to make it to the Discovery Tab

While Creators do have freedom to make maps as they see fit, there are rules and regulations that have to be followed. If the map created does not adhere to a certain standard, Epic Games usually rejects the map. In most instances, maps are rejected for the slightest error or if something is out of place.

That being said, the fact that the "Palestine VS Israel PVP" map made it past reviewers and got approved is rather shocking. By all accounts, the fact that the map was named as it was should have been enough to have it banned outright. The issue was first brough to light by bnwkr who is a well known figure within the Fortnite Community.

Although the map in question has been reported and removed, the damage has been done as the community will not soon forget the incident. Given the sensitivity of the topic at hand, many players are enraged and are calling for stricter measures to be implemented, here's what a few have to say:

As seen from the comments, users are asking how this was allowed on to the Discovery Tab in the first place. Given that each map is verified before being added, this is nothing short of travesty. That said, this is not the first time that something like this has happened.

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"Russia VS Ukraine"

At the start of 2023, a Fortnite Creative map called "Russia VS Ukraine'' was reviewed and allowed to feature in-game. Although many argue that Discovery was a mess and that was the reason this occurred, history is repeating itself yet again. Twice in the same year and two different conflicts - Fortnite Creative is still a mess.

This is after taking into account that Epic Games stepped up their review process to ensure the highest quality of maps being produced. It is rather unclear how the "Palestine VS Israel PVP'' map slipped through alongside the "Russia VS Ukraine'' map back in February of 2023. Hopefully, this is the last time something like this occurs or the backlash from the community will be more severe.