AussieAntics Removed from Fortnite Broadcast Team for Calling Player a Loser

Shaun "AussieAntics" Cochrane, a popular Australian Fortnite streamer and broadcaster, has been dropped by Epic Games for an apparent code of conduct violation.

The announcement came through AussieAntics' Twitter profile late Saturday, moments before he was scheduled to broadcast the FNCS All-Star Showdown. He swiftly took to his Twitch channel to explain the situation to his fans who, even on the initial tweet, did not take the information lightly.

In a five-minute clip discussing his removal from the broadcast team, AussieAntics stated that he was dropped from the broadcast team due to a violation of the "community guidelines." During a live stream of the Oceanic finals, a player close to AussieAntics got "griefed."

"He got griefed, in my opinion," AussieAntics explained, "I called the kid a loser. That's what I said...I didn't say 'go send this kid a bunch of hate,' I didn't post his social media anywhere, I didn't try to say 'I hate this kid, you should give him death threats,'."

He urged his audience not to be too upset with Epic Games or to seek out the affected player. The streamer said that he understood where the company was coming from and explicitly stated he didn't want the anger to go toward the company or anyone who works for them.

"Epic has interpreted that as me using my audience to incite hate toward someone else," he explained.

However, he did clarify that he didn't exactly agree with their assessment. He expressed that he would never condone that sort of behavior and pointed to his previous behavior regarding similar situations.

"I would never use my audience to incite hate toward another person...Every time someone gets in a situation, I always say 'do not give them death threats, do no send hate to them,'" AussieAntics said.

Despite knowing his statement would potentially lock him out of future broadcasts, he refused to apologize for his comments. AussieAntics told his chat that he didn't think he crossed the line. According to him, the sight of his friend becoming so upset sparked the comments.

"I don't think what I said was unwarranted," he said, "I'm going to call someone out on their bullshit...No amount of money or career opportunities is going to make me not want to be like that."

AussieAntics went on to host a viewing party for the North American Solo FNCS finals, instead. Epic Games has yet to comment on whether they'll be letting the streamer back onto the broadcast team.