The embattled Fortnite esports star used a racial epithet during a Twitch stream. He was playing a game of Minecraft, battling a group of pillagers when he said it.
“You guys fucking killed all the villagers, man,” he said. “Y’all motherfuckers killed them n—–s. You can suck my pee pee, man.”
This stands as a clear violation of Twitch’s community guidelines against “hateful conduct.” This includes “any content or activity that promotes, encourages, or facilitates discrimination, denigration, objectification, harassment, or violence based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, medical condition, physical characteristics, or veteran status, and is prohibited.”
Tfue was banned in 2018 for another racist language incident in which he referred to a Fortnite player he was battling as a “coon.” He was suspended for 30 days. He was also suspended for another separate incident, though details regarding that remain scarce.
Twitch typically has a “three strikes” policy where three suspensions will result in a permanent ban.
Twitch’s preferential treatment of top streamers
Tfue casually dropping a racial epithet during a stream is undeniably a violation of Twitch’s community guidelines and should carry some sort of punishment. That said, there is no guarantee that he will actually face any consequences.
Twitch has come under serious fire in recent months for its uneven punishment of streamers, primarily centered around an incident in which Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon threw her cat during a Call of Duty game while on-air. She was not punished for the act.
Problematic language, both racist and homophobic, has also been inconsistently handled by Twtich. In 2018, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins used a racial epithet while doing a freestyle rap segment and received no punishment. On the flipside, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive star Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev recently received a ban for using homophobic language during a stream.
There is no question that Tfue is due for punishment according to the existing guidelines, and with Twitch demonstrating a willingness to permanently shut down repeat offenders, he could wind up off the platform entirely.
However, with Twitch’s willingness to give popular personalities a pass, there is a real chance he walks away from this unscathed.
Steven Rondina
About Steven Rondina
Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.
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