Cented is Quitting Fortnite After Hate Speech Backlash

We’ve recently learned that Cented is quitting Fortnite following the lengthy backlash to last year’s hate speech controversies.

The Fortnite Pro Cented has been one of the most consistently top-ranking players in the game. He’s achieved loads of great finishes at FNCS events and end-of-year Invitationals, but his career has recently been blighted by controversy. A while after being dropped by the team for hate speech, the player has announced that Cented was quitting Fortnite.

The player has recently announced he’ll be stepping away from the game. This follows a few controversies with the player. The reaction from fans has been mixed. Some have called out what seems like insincerity in his statement. Others are disappointed that the game is losing one of its objectively best-performing players.

Cented is Quitting Fortnite

Cented is a five-time runner-up for the FNCS and performed great at other events, but the player is bowing out of the game in Season 4. The news isn’t entirely unexpected after all of his recent issues. Cented explained his move in a Twitlonger, not his first public statement on the platform.

Quitting.

Read: https://t.co/giBJ8Evl8r

— cented 🇨🇦 (@Cented7) January 3, 2023

The player said that he wasn’t leaving the game because of problems with how it’s been developed, like the move to new different Chapters or the changing atmosphere from orgs and Fortnite teams. Instead, he’s retiring because of the backlash against him after his public hate speech came to light last year.

The player has gone on to detail the ways that the backlash has affected him. This has made the statement a little controversial in certain quarters, with some specifically calling it out as being overly focused on what’s happened to him and not on what he did to provoke this reaction in the first place. It’s been a controversial retirement, though. While some seem to feel its an empty gesture this far on, others are more interested in the game losing a high-level player than past sins.

Cented’s skill at Fortnite is undisputed, even if his behavior hasn’t always been admirable. The player was one of the best players of the last few years, far and away.  He most recently took first in the FNCS Invitational 2022. In past FNCS finals, he’s had good finishes too like 2^nd in Chapter 3 Season 2, and Chapter 2 Seasons 7, 6, 5, 4. He had an amazing run in Chapter 2 and hasn’t struggled in Chapter 3 all that much. He’s going to be missed in the new Chapter’s competitive scene, but there’s a good reason that Cented is quitting Fortnite.

What Happened With Cented?

The situation goes back further than just this apology and statement that Cented is quitting Fortnite. The player had a scandal previously which has led to all of this. Cented has had more than one problem with his behavior in the past.

In 2022, the player was a part of FaZe and regularly lit up the top of the leaderboard in Fortnite events. That changed when the player was reprimanded for hate speech. In a Twitch stream, he said a racial slur. A clip of this later surfaced.

He was then kicked out of FaZe clan in the aftermath. The player said a racial slur to other players open entering a Discord server. It raises questions about the culture around these players, that such casual use of such words is okay, and how this kind of behavior impacts Fortnite’s, particularly younger audiences. The clip has led to him being removed from the team and condemned a lot of Fortnite fans.

The player couldn’t behave properly enough to be trusted by a team, but it presented a dilemma for some as he clearly had the skill to compete on the highest level. It’s a growing argument in esports over to what degree personal misbehaviour should be tolerated in light of talent, and if orgs are doing enough to ensure players aren’t setting bad examples. Cented is far from the only player to have these problems.

The incident seemed to be a watermark moment for FaZe. They released a statement saying they could no longer support discriminatory language. This seemingly references into past incidents when FaZe players had trouble over their similar use of hate speech.

Fans Struggled to Move On

In the stamen to explain Cented quitting Fortnite, the player specifically said that the backlash for this incident didn’t fade and continued to plague the player causing personal problems. He also called out some actions he had taken to try and make up for the controversy, including paying for his own sensitivity training. Although ultimately seems accusatory towards those who didn’t move on very fast rather than focusing on his own role.

Some have criticised a lack of sensitivity from Cented in his statement, though. While he briefly discusses his initial incident to defend himself, Cented largely focuses on how the consequences of his actions have affected him.

Cented’s Future

This move likely writes Cented out of competing for at least a few FNCS events. Is this the final end for the player, though? Some fans have been unsure. In his leaving statement, Cented discussed how he expected the backlash to have passed by now and the continued effects were taking a toll on the player. Although, players have come back from worse, despite that never quite being a popular move.

Cented likely could return to the top flight of Fortnite in the future. He did not get banned for the initial hate speech problem, instead retiring himself much later. The player’s skills have kept him at the top for much longer than most players manage. His previous outburst wasn’t enough for r Epic to take action, so there’s little stopping Cented from making a return if and when he feels up to it. Some fans have suggested it might be wiser for Cented to continue his competitive grind in silence and step away from the celebrity aspects of being a pro player in future.

Cented’s problems are an example of how a player’s personal problems can follow them despite in-game success. For those who thought being kicked from FaZe wasn’t quite enough, this might be more validation than the initial punishments. However, quitting on his own terms means he’s always free to make a return when he feels up to it.