Please be aware that the following story contains mentions of subjects that some readers might find upsetting.
Epic has confirmed that it’s offering refunds on Fortnite D4vd cosmetics purchased by players, but the company doesn’t seem to be in any kind of hurry to remove the items from the game.
Singer D4vd was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of murder and child sex abuse, and since there are skins based on the singer in Fortniteplayers are understandably concerned about the continued use and sale of those items.
In an X response to Fortnite leaker Shiina, Epic says that it “hear[s] the concerns”, and that it’s implementing “a bunch of changes”, beginning with the ability for any player who’s purchased D4vd cosmetics to get an automatic self-service refund, which will be available from tomorrow.
At the moment, if you request a refund for D4vd cosmetics from the Fortnite support page, you’ll be refunded, but you’ll be able to get that refund without contacting anyone from tomorrow.
What’s baffling to me is why the cosmetics aren’t being removed outright, and why Epic isn’t automatically refunding anyone who bought those cosmetics or even banning their use across the game.
The company appears to be staying cagey about why that might be, but it’s possible there’s some kind of legal agreement in place between D4vd’s team and Fortniteone that might preclude Epic from removing the cosmetics until a certain point.
Presumably, if that’s the case, D4vd’s arrest doesn’t contravene the terms of that agreement, although since prosecutors have confirmed the singer was found in possession of “a significant amount” of child sex abuse material (CSAM) at the time of his arrest, it must be a pretty airtight legal agreement if it does exist.
It’s also technically true that D4vd hasn’t been found guilty in a court of law yet, although again, the CSAM apparently found in the singer’s possession at the time of his arrest isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement on that front.
We’ll have to wait and see if Fortnite‘s D4vd cosmetics are removed at some point in the future, but for now, they’re remaining in the game and Epic isn’t saying why. Stay tuned for more.
