Concerns Rise Among Fortnite Players Over ‘Toxic’ Text Chat Impacting Gameplay

Epic Games is transforming the Fortnite experience with the launch of Chapter 6 Season 1, introducing a wealth of new features beyond the classic Battle Royale mode. Among these innovations are the debut of Fortnite OG, the GTA-inspired Brick Life Mode, and the much-anticipated Fortnite Reload.

While the unveiling of text chat in Fortnite generated excitement, it did come with some prior hints that dampened the surprise. This new feature enhances communication by allowing players to engage not only with their team but also with the entire lobby—assuming it’s not predominantly populated by bots. Players now have the ability to discuss landing strategies at locations like Flooded Frogs or Seaport City with all participants in the match.

Concerns Emerge Over Text Chat Toxicity

Veterans of competitive gaming may recall the infamous toxicity within the lobbies of games like Call of Duty, which has led to apprehensions that Fortnite, traditionally a family-friendly space, could face similar challenges. Notably, popular content creator D3NNI voiced these concerns via social media: “Oh my god this is about to be so toxic.”

oh my god this is about to be so toxic 😭😭😭😭

— D3NNI (@D3NNI_yt) December 9, 2024

This sentiment was echoed by numerous players, with one commenting, “They’re adding a whole game text chat?? I have a feeling I know what it’s gonna be like… the fn community is too toxic.” Another player speculated, “This is either gonna be really funny or really bad; worst-case scenario it’ll just be like toxic OW text chat.” To mitigate these fears, some players have expressed their intent to avoid the feature altogether, worried about the repercussions and potential for bans.

According to an official statement from Epic Games, measures are in place to automatically screen toxic messages, with additional blocks on any content that discloses personal information. While this is a positive start toward maintaining a safer environment, concerns linger over the potential effectiveness of these safeguards, especially as savvy users inevitably find ways around restrictions.

Players aged 13 and older have the option to disable censors for “mature language and toxicity,” indicating that Epic is aware of the possible challenges ahead when implementing this feature.

The revamped text chat includes a party channel for conversing with teammates while a separate game channel enables more chaotic interactions in public matches. Direct messaging capabilities are only extended to friends on a player’s list.

Similar to the reporting system available for voice chat, players will have the power to report toxic behavior. However, there are fears of misuse, reminiscent of the measures taken by Call of Duty to combat toxicity when Warzone integrated proximity chat.

While the developers at Fortnite express confidence that their text chat will cultivate a positive environment, the real test will be how effective their moderation systems are in practice.

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