Fortnite Defaults to Hiding D4vd Emotes, but Fans Demand Full Removal of All Content

Epic Games has effectively hidden two in-game emotes featuring music by U.S. singer D4vd, but some fans argue the company should go further and completely remove the content from Fortnite. Following today's update, the "Feel It" and "Trophy Drop" emotes that include D4vd's music will no longer be audible to other players by default, unless the pre-existing "Confrontational Emotes" setting is manually enabled. This setting was originally introduced to mute toxic and frequently spammed emotes, and now D4vd's music has been added to that list. D4vd, 21-year-old David Anthony Burke, was recently charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, allegedly killing her on or around April 23, 2025, after she threatened to report their relationship. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd acts with a minor, and mutilating a corpse. Fans have been calling for Epic to remove D4vd's content for months, noting its absence from the rotating item shop. However, many believe the content should not exist in the game at all, including the two emotes, the music track "What Are You Waiting For," and the animated collaboration video "Locked & Loaded" on YouTube, which now has numerous negative comments urging its deletion. Last weekend, Epic Games acknowledged fan concerns on social media, announcing a series of changes rolling out over time. The first change, implemented earlier this week, allows owners to manually request refunds for D4vd content. Whether these changes will lead to a full removal remains uncertain.