As reported by TheGamer, Epic has pulled an accolades trailer for [Fortnite](https://amzn.to/3Nf3ujl) Chapter 7 after fans noticed that one unassuming word had slipped past several layers of censorship. The trailer was meant to feel edgy. It leaned on mock quotes with strategically placed asterisks, presented as reactions pulled from social media.
Some of those quotes were clearly tongue-in-cheek. One read “---- the Dark Voyager” attributed to “the bus driver,” a reference that makes sense if you have played the opening of the chapter, where the Dark Voyager attacks and is presumed to have killed him. Another quote, “Like a ------- fever dream,” was credited to the X account FN Posting and stayed safely vague.
Then there was the line that caused the problem.
“The best ------- game ever man,” the trailer read. Harmless enough on its face. The issue was the name beneath it: “Jonesy Frotting,” an X account that, until now, most people at Epic seemed not to think twice about.
Frotting is a sexual term. In plain language, it refers to genital rubbing between two men. It is not exactly dinner-table vocabulary, but it is also not obscure if you spend time in certain corners of the internet. Unfortunately for Epic, it was obscure enough internally that it slipped through.
That is where the humour and the disbelief kick in. As one Reddit user put it, “Someone read that, then someone was sent it, then someone edited it, someone approved it, and then someone posted it. There was probably more people than that involved and no one caught this.” Another replied, “Very funny to me that the entire Epic Games team doesn’t know what frotting is.”
Once the trailer was taken down, the account at the centre of it all chimed in as well, asking on X, “Am I genuinely gonna be the reason why someone’s gonna be losing their job today?”
It is easy to imagine the internal panic. Somewhere at Epic, a social media manager or junior marketing employee probably had the exact moment of horror you would expect. The sudden realisation. The Slack messages. The quiet deletion followed by loud internet laughter.
If I were that person, I would be absolutely mortified. This is the kind of mistake that keeps you awake replaying every approval step in your head. But I am not that person, so I can admit the obvious. From the outside, it is funny.
Context matters here. It is December. For much of the corporate world, this is the final push before the holidays. Everyone is tired. Burnout is real. The idea that a not-quite-mainstream sexual term slipped through because nobody on the chain recognised it is not shocking. It is almost relatable.
There is also something oddly fitting about it happening to Fortnite. This game lives at the intersection of pop culture, chaos, and the internet’s worst instincts. This is a title that thrives on memes and irony. The fact that its own marketing tripped over an unintended one feels on brand, even if it was unintentional.
Whether the trailer returns with a different quote or a different username remains to be seen. Epic has not said much beyond pulling it, which is the smartest move. Let the moment pass. Let everyone pretend they learned nothing new today.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a tiny mistake. No content was explicit. No real harm was done. A few people learned a new word they did not ask to learn, and Epic got a reminder that the internet is very good at spotting what corporations miss.
It is, ultimately, a minor cock-up on Epic’s part. And yes, that pun is fully intended.
Some of those quotes were clearly tongue-in-cheek. One read “---- the Dark Voyager” attributed to “the bus driver,” a reference that makes sense if you have played the opening of the chapter, where the Dark Voyager attacks and is presumed to have killed him. Another quote, “Like a ------- fever dream,” was credited to the X account FN Posting and stayed safely vague.
Then there was the line that caused the problem.
“The best ------- game ever man,” the trailer read. Harmless enough on its face. The issue was the name beneath it: “Jonesy Frotting,” an X account that, until now, most people at Epic seemed not to think twice about.
Frotting is a sexual term. In plain language, it refers to genital rubbing between two men. It is not exactly dinner-table vocabulary, but it is also not obscure if you spend time in certain corners of the internet. Unfortunately for Epic, it was obscure enough internally that it slipped through.
That is where the humour and the disbelief kick in. As one Reddit user put it, “Someone read that, then someone was sent it, then someone edited it, someone approved it, and then someone posted it. There was probably more people than that involved and no one caught this.” Another replied, “Very funny to me that the entire Epic Games team doesn’t know what frotting is.”
Once the trailer was taken down, the account at the centre of it all chimed in as well, asking on X, “Am I genuinely gonna be the reason why someone’s gonna be losing their job today?”
It is easy to imagine the internal panic. Somewhere at Epic, a social media manager or junior marketing employee probably had the exact moment of horror you would expect. The sudden realisation. The Slack messages. The quiet deletion followed by loud internet laughter.
If I were that person, I would be absolutely mortified. This is the kind of mistake that keeps you awake replaying every approval step in your head. But I am not that person, so I can admit the obvious. From the outside, it is funny.
Context matters here. It is December. For much of the corporate world, this is the final push before the holidays. Everyone is tired. Burnout is real. The idea that a not-quite-mainstream sexual term slipped through because nobody on the chain recognised it is not shocking. It is almost relatable.
There is also something oddly fitting about it happening to Fortnite. This game lives at the intersection of pop culture, chaos, and the internet’s worst instincts. This is a title that thrives on memes and irony. The fact that its own marketing tripped over an unintended one feels on brand, even if it was unintentional.
Whether the trailer returns with a different quote or a different username remains to be seen. Epic has not said much beyond pulling it, which is the smartest move. Let the moment pass. Let everyone pretend they learned nothing new today.
In the grand scheme of things, this is a tiny mistake. No content was explicit. No real harm was done. A few people learned a new word they did not ask to learn, and Epic got a reminder that the internet is very good at spotting what corporations miss.
It is, ultimately, a minor cock-up on Epic’s part. And yes, that pun is fully intended.