The prevalent, never-ending toxicity in the Fortnite competitive community

Fortnite has a bad reputation when it comes to toxic players.

While not the most toxic community out there, Fortnite's vocal majority, mostly consisting of competitive players and Fortnite "pros," give the game a bad name in the eyes of the general public.

This behavior is something that other companies, such as Blizzard, work hard to curb. On the other hand, Epic has let this childish behavior go mostly unchecked in the competitive scene.

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Fortnite's never-ending toxicity

Whether it is Ninja whining over hackers and stream-snipers, Bugha griefing fellow pro gamers during tournaments, or Rolando getting into it with his teammates, toxicity in Fortnite is not on the rise. It has always been there, especially in the competitive scene. These public figures, who garner thousands upon thousands of viewers, set an abysmal example for their fans with their show of toxicity.

Richard "Ninja" Tyler Blevins routinely complains and throws fits when he loses at Fortnite, once again quitting the game "for good" and blaming stream-snipers for his latest departure. He then goes on to criticize his viewers in a profanity-filled rant.

Cody "Clix" Conrad was also in Fortnite news recently, replying to Fortnite's Donald Mustard's tweet in a quite unprofessional manner.

Clix Tweet

Conrad has since deleted the tweet, but fans were quick to jump all over it. The sense of entitlement behind such an act is toxicity at its most basic. Conrad has still received no consequences from Epic for his actions.

Rolando called out Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf last year for griefing during a tournament. Giersdorf is well known for speaking out against in-game griefing and toxicity. This griefing was not an isolated incident, as Rolando hinted:

"I know so much about this individual…but I'm not gonna say it because if I do, we're gonna get in some trouble."

These are just a few examples of how pro players behave both in-game and online, and the problem is not going away. This never-ending cycle of toxic behavior continues because Epic does not seem to care that their Fortnite community is so full of rotten apples.

While there are certainly pros out there that understand the position they are in and the example they set for others, they are far outnumbered by the toxic ones.

What will it take for this to change? Those in the community who abhor this behavior and speak out against it only goes so far if it falls on deaf ears. The Fortnite community can not rid itself of its toxicity without Epic stepping in and enforcing some behavior policy for its public faces and players.