Male Fortnite Creators Are Using Women To Market Their Maps

"As you might expect, that amount of money floating around means there are people trying to gain any edge they can in the Fortnite clout economy, including misleading players about who is actually behind new user-generated content. A new report from GamesBeat dives deep into the ongoing controversy around male Fortnite creators and large content studios primarily using young women in social videos and online posts without always disclosing how that woman is actually connected to the map or mode being advertised."

"And if you look at some posts online, you'd likely believe that Pandvil is a woman. There's even a meme that references people discovering that the creator is a woman. However, that's reportedly not the case. GamesBeat spoke to three individuals who have knowledge of the real-life creator's identity and who claimed the woman seen in many of Pandvil's videos isn't the creator. Instead, she's allegedly a social media manager employed by the creator's studio, further blurring the lines between spokesperson and developer."

User-generated content is a growing component of Fortnite, with some custom maps attracting tens of thousands of concurrent players and eclipsing official modes. Creators and teams can earn significant revenue through Epic's payout system that rewards playtime and return visits, and some creators have made millions. That money creates incentives to gain clout, leading some studios and creators to feature young women in promotional content without clarifying those women's roles. Blurring the lines between spokesperson and developer can misrepresent who built a map and contributes to frustration and disadvantage for female creators seeking recognition and success.

Read at Kotaku