Fortnite’s Civil Rights Movement Inclusion Was Well-Intentioned But Messy - IGN - IGN

It theoretically shouldn’t have come to anyone’s surprise that TIME Studios chose it as the platform to deliver its March Through Time project, which brought Martin Luther King, Jr’s seminal 'I Have a Dream ' speech to the battle royale game.

Black people were especially vocal online in highlighting both its problems and its potential to spread a positive message; I personally believed that a confusing rollout and lack of foresight made Fortnite a poor choice to host this event.

On August 26th, 2021, TIME Studios partnered with Epic Games to launch March Through Time, an educational project centered on Martin Luther King, Jr’s 'I Have a Dream' speech housed within Fortnite Creative (a mode that allows players to build structures on private islands and/or create custom games and experiences).

The idea, according to Time’s announcement around the event, was to work with a handful of community creators to spread awareness of MLK’s speech addressing racial injustice.

But TIME and Epic’s March Through Time event wasn’t welcomed with open arms when it launched on August 26th.

The disconnect was exacerbated by the suddenness of the event’s reveal and the lack of context; though the initial Tweet said “presented by TIME in Fortnite,” most people seemed unaware that TIME Studios had anything to do with the project.

This of course led to speculation and a large portion of Black Twitter voicing a shared concern about respecting MLK’s legacy, which is hard to do in a game like Fortnite where a Xenomorph can kick it with Rick Sanchez.

Because of this, we weren’t able to learn what went into the planning and selection process (concerning the community creators) for the March Through TIME event.

It wasn’t long ago that Epic was being sued by people like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro, rapper Terrance “2 Milly” Ferguson, and James “BlocBoyJB” Baker (among others), who claimed Epic monetized their popular dance moves without compensation.

And while the lawsuits were withdrawn due to the plaintiffs needing to complete their copyright registration before filing - which can take a long time due to the Copyright office’s backlog - the idea that Epic could essentially take from creators without compensating them doesn’t sit well with black people in this space.

Tamika explained that, for her, there was a dissonance between March Through Time and Epic’s relationship with the black community.

“Essentially, Epic Games can’t take advantage of black creators while trying to spread a message of equality.”.

Tamika -- who amplifies black and brown voices through her work (among other content, she hosts a series called Uncovering Black Women in Esports) -- is passionate about representation and sees a pattern of Epic prioritizing white creators.

“When we see black people attached to Fortnite, it’s always because of an entertainer like Travis Scott or LeBron James, you know, having a skin in the game?

To give credit where it’s due, Epic Games has tried to improve Fortnite’s public image within the black community in the last year or so.

So what was it like, as a black person, to actually experience the event inside Fortnite.

“I know that there's an expectation for everyone to be really cynical about the connectedness that you can have in a moment like this, with a game that is about building things and shooting people.

Now the dust has settled, it’s hard to measure how successful the March Through TIME event was.

The conversation surrounding the potential benefits of Epic Games and TIME Studios collaboration, and what another collaboration like that might look like in the future, is ongoing.

That’s a good thing; black people should be given the space to discuss how we’d like our history to be presented?

My hope is that these companies will work on proving people like me wrong, and that black developers and consultants are given the power to guide these experiences.