The Brief: Redditors are reacting to a TikTok and Fortnite sponsored hashtag partnership called Emote Royale with memes that show disdain for both the social media platform and the video game.
DEEP DIVE
What Is Emote Royale?
Fortnite and TikTok have partnered to create a sponsored hashtag challenge on the app. Emote Royale or the #EmoteRoyaleContest invites TikTokers to upload videos of themselves dancing to show Fortnite makers “what you want to see as the next Fortnite Emote.” Participants can choose from a playlist of official Fortnite tracks for their videos. According to the contest rules, the winner will have their dance become a Fortnite emote and will receive 25,000 V-Bucks along with a “Fortnite VIP giveaway package.”
At the time of writing, videos associated with the hashtag #EmoteRoyaleContest have been viewed over 153 million times according to TikTok.
@gen_cloutI call this the Simple Shuffle. I tried 😅 #fortnite #emoteroyalecontest♬ Electro Swing – Fortnite
Reddit Memes
While this contest has led to the creation of earnest original videos on TikTok, it’s been widely mocked on Reddit as a cringey attempt for two brands to capitalize on user-generated content. Memes on Reddit make fun of the #EmoteRoyaleContest with a variety of image macros and digs at both Epic Games and Fortnite.
Members of Reddit communities including r/dankmemes often express contempt for mainstream and normie culture, which aligns with their negative feelings towards Fortnite makers Epic Games and TikTok. Many of these memes refer to Emote Royale as “cancer,” hyperbolically suggesting that this brand partnership is as harmful as cancer is.
Even worse from dankmemes
Cancer too from dankmemes