THE British Army came under intense criticism a few weeks ago after promoting a boot camp-themed island in Fortnite.
Fortnite has an exceptionally young player base, with over 60% of players being under the age of 24.
1
Despite this, The Army teamed up with popular streamers Elz the Witch and Yung Filly in order to promote the Fortnite boot camp to their young and impressionable audiences.
The British Army promoted the island and streaming event on social media, and soon received a huge backlash from users.
Both streamers were set to take part in an event on January 24, but it was cancelled following the public outcry.
The army’s island never went live on Epic Games, and the developer stated that it would be “under moderation”.
More in Fortnite
However, moderation wasn’t needed 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 the content rules above, and the Epic Content Guidelines, and must not […] promote enrollment in the military.”
Speaking to Esports News UK an Army spokesperson denied that the boot camp island was designed to actively recruit new members.
They said: “We are always seeking innovative ways to reach a range of audiences and raise awareness of what the Army does.
Most read in Gaming
“[This] includes demonstrating our characteristics and values such as communication, problem-solving and teamwork.
“The initiative never involved active recruiting and there was no direct link from the game to an Army Jobs application.
“However, after consultation with our industry partners we have decided not to proceed with the project.”
While the original promotion did not ask players to enlist, the intention of the island and event seemed clear to fans.
If you want to read more about the game, check out the new TMNT x Fortnite collaboration.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
All the latest PS5 reviews from The Sun
Get the lowdown on more of the latest PS5 releases from our expert reviewers.
