Fortnite, immensely popular among children and teens, allows users to unlock or buy a variety of “emotes” – distinctive movements or dances –which often arrive in the game through sponsored partnerships with popular media.
Previous collaborations have included deals with Marvel, DC, Star Wars and the John Wick franchise.
Following reports about the “Peaceful Hips” emote, the game’s developers confirmed it had been temporarily removed, pending further investigation.
A statement from Fortnite read: “We're disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we enquire into our partner's creative intentions in this collab emote.
"Assuming it's not coming back, we'll issue refunds in the next few days. Sorry folks.”
However, some users criticised the decision, claiming that it was unnecessary and that the emote was being misinterpreted.
Others pointed to the fact that other emotes still in the game include one that makes use of a Kanye West song, despite the rapper being a self-professed “Nazi” who praised Adolf Hitler.
And the game also still features a “skin” – downloadable costume – which resembles a Nazi uniform, though it is now extremely rare as developer Epic Games removed it from sale five years ago.
