Epic Games removed the Travis Scott "Out West" dance emote from Fortnite yesterday. This comes shortly after a number of people died during the rap star's Astroworld concert in Houston, Texas.
The Scott concert took place on November 5 in NRG Park. According to CNN, at least eight people ranging in age from 14 to 27 have died, with several others injured. Eyewitness reports say that crowds surged towards the stage where Scott was performing. Around 25 people were taken to the hospital, including several that were reportedly in cardiac arrest. Other concert goers were also administered Narcan, a drug used to treat narcotic overdoses. Over 300 others were treated for more minor injuries at the on-site field hospital.
Scott was quickly under fire for his own actions during and after the tragic event. Instead of outright stopping the show, Travis Scott instead continued to perform for about 30 minutes after it was declared that there were mass casualties. Scott was also shown to continue performing while looking down at a limp body being carried away from the venue. At one point, Scott sees and acknowledges an ambulance arriving. After a very brief pause, he proceeds to tell the audience to throw their "middle fingers up to the sky" before continuing to perform.
Epic Games did not provide any public facing reason as to why they pulled the Travis Scott emote, but you can probably connect the dots given what was said above. Scott was the focus for one of Fortnite's major virtual concert events. His performance took place in April 2020, where he earned an estimated $20 million (USD) from Epic Games.
