Cody “Clix” Conrod is one of the most influential Fortnite pros in all of North America. But after some controversial online behaviour, Clix is in the dog house with Epic Games
A mega-creator like Clix needs no introduction; most everyone knows who he is. As the largest North American Fortnite streamer and one of the most talented professional players in the scene, Clix’s presence spreads far and wide
But it seems as though Epic Games might not be among his biggest fans, as the company has had a difficult time corralling young players’ online behaviour outside of the game
Last year, the game developers updated their competitive rulebook to include penalties for online behaviour, specifically on social media channels
And while many have toed the line over the past 12 months, nothing extends to the severity of last weeks’ unfoldings
The situation quickly unfolded after Clix inappropriately joked about lacing females with laxatives
Although he swiftly deleted those posts, Epic Games had enough.They were on the final straw and were ready to punish one of their most successful creators
The punishment? Indefinitely suspending one of Clix’s major revenue streams -- his Support-A-Creator code
Clix was quick to issue an apology with the intent to get his act together
Gonna start being more mature on stream & all social media platforms. Learned a huge lesson about the creator code stuff, I just love fucking around and being myself but with the huge community I have, I needa start setting an example.
— Clix (@ClixHimself) May 16, 2021
But Epic Games wasn’t ready to accept and move on just yet. Instead, they doubled down on their position, requesting map creator Pandival to remove Clix’s name from his infamous box fight scenario
Fortnite is effectively looking to purge Clix’s name from any of their official channels. The assumption: he is now deemed a brand risk
In now deleted tweets, Clix vented his frustrations with Epic’s decision
Clix takes aim at Epic for removing him from the Support-A-Creator program while leaving controversial creator “Kiwiz” in. Behind his curtain of nearly four million subscribers are serious allegations of predatory behaviour towards minors which Epic Games hasn’t investigated
If you are just hearing about this scandal, it’s because this occurred in 2016. Here’s a link to a summary of those allegations
Regardless, finger pointing doesn’t absolve Clix from his own responsibility to set a shining example on the impressionable community. Previous behavior-related infractions have already led to a shaky relationship between Clix and the developers
Clix is by far the largest creator to have been gatekept from his own in-game bundle feature, a request fans long pleaded for. He is also rarely mentioned on Fortnite’s competitive Twitter page, another sign the company has reasons to distance themselves from Clix
At the end of the day, sorry won’t always get you out of a bad situation. This is doubly true when your apologies have historically been followed by broken promises to change
Clix’s now-deleted outburst is an example of someone used to getting everything they want and finally being told no
I know my inbox will be stuffed with hate from Clix fanboys, but I nevertheless hope this serves as a humbling moment followed by many more successes for the young and bright star
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