Here’s why people think Fortnite removed the new Sabrina Carpenter “Caffeinated” Emote.
The long-awaited arrival of Sabrina Carpenter's first Fortnite Emote was short-lived following its release in the Oct. 16 Item Shop rotation. After only 19 hours, Epic Games removed the Espresso-inspired "Caffeinated" Emote from Fortnite's Item Shop.
Anyone who grabbed it currently possesses an incredibly rare Emote, but Epic Games plans to re-release it. Here's what we know about the situation.
Epic removes the Caffeinated Fortnite Emote with zero explanation
The Caffeinated Emote, based on Sabrina Carpenter's hit song "Espresso," landed in the Item Shop on Oct. 16 alongside some Jam Tracks for Fortnite Festival. Players could purchase the Emote beginning at 8 p.m. ET. However, Epic Games removed it from the Item Shop after 3 p.m. on Oct. 17.
The developers took that a step further, scrubbing all promotion of the Caffeinated Emote from Fortnite's social media accounts. Although, you can still view the post on the FortniteANZ account. At 3:24 p.m. on Oct. 17, the Fortnite Status X account formally announced the Emote's removal, adding that more information would follow regarding its eventual return.
"We’ve temporarily removed the Caffeinated Emote from the Item Shop, and will provide more info on when it will return."
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Why did Epic Games remove the Sabrina Carpenter Emote?
While Epic Games did not confirm the reason, players quickly devised viable theories. Following its release, the Caffeinated Emote drew criticism from Fortnite fans, targeting its sped-up nature.
Rather than playing Sabrina Carpenter's song at normal speed, the Emote drew from a viral TikTok dance set to Espresso. The TikTok dance, choreographed by Narjesse Bouazza, utilizes a sped-up version of Espresso, but Fortnite fans were less than thrilled.
The prevailing theory is that Epic Games took note of the feedback and removed it, planning to add a new Caffeinated Emote, presumably not sped-up. We'll have to wait and see what more comes of this situation as it develops. Those looking to enjoy Espresso can still purchase the Jam Track for Fortnite Festival.
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