*Spoiler Alert for any Peacemaker fans not currently caught up on this season*
Fortnite has built its cultural empire not only on battle royale gameplay but also on an endless cycle of collaborations with celebrities, movies, and television shows. From Marvel heroes to pop icons like Ariana Grande, the game has become a digital hub for pop culture crossovers.
But Epic Games now finds itself at the center of controversy. The company has paused the sale and disabled the use of the “Peaceful Hips” emote — a dance based on the opening sequence of HBO Max’s hit series Peacemaker, starring John Cena.
The move follows growing backlash online that the dance’s choreography contains arm movements resembling swastikas and Nazi symbolism, particularly after Peacemaker Season 2 introduced storylines directly tied to fascism.
Epic, in a rare statement, acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that the emote is currently under review while they “inquire into [their] partner’s creative intentions.”
The emote, titled “Peaceful Hips,” was introduced in Fortnite earlier this year as part of a broader Peacemaker collaboration. Players could purchase it from the in-game shop, along with a John Cena-inspired character skin, themed accessories, and other cosmetics.
The dance itself comes directly from Peacemaker’s quirky and intentionally awkward opening credits sequence, choreographed to Wig Wam’s “Do Ya Wanna Taste It.” In the show, Cena’s character and the ensemble cast perform synchronized, deadpan moves that contrast absurdly with the upbeat glam-rock anthem.
For months, the emote seemed like another example of Fortnite’s ability to bottle lightning by combining pop culture with digital self-expression. Players embraced it for its humor and novelty.
That changed abruptly with the rollout of new episodes of Peacemaker Season 2.
In the latest season, creator James Gunn introduced a shocking twist: a storyline that heavily involves a Nazi-controlled alternate reality. Suddenly, what once seemed like silly or ironic choreography gained a darker potential subtext.
Viewers began to notice that certain angular arm movements in the dance, when isolated or looped in Fortnite’s third-person perspective, appeared to form swastika-like shapes. Social media posts highlighting these resemblances quickly went viral.
The controversy escalated when memes and side-by-side comparisons spread across Twitter (X), Reddit, and TikTok, framing the dance as “Nazi imagery in plain sight.”
While some argued the resemblance was coincidental and dependent on selective framing, others felt the association, intentional or not, was too damaging for Fortnite’s massive, global audience, which includes millions of children.
Epic Games reacted quickly. On September 27, the official Fortnite Status account posted:
“We’re disabling the Peaceful Hips Emote in Fortnite as we inquire 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.”
The statement made clear that Epic is taking the issue seriously. Notably, the company emphasized two key points:
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The emote is disabled immediately — players can no longer purchase or use it in matches.
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Refunds will be issued if Epic determines the emote will not return, signaling that permanent removal is a possibility.
This marks one of the few times Epic has publicly pulled content tied to a high-profile collaboration.
