Fortnite decided to remove AussieAntics from the official broadcast due to comments he made that break community TOS guidelines.
Shortly before the NAE broadcast, AussieAntics tweeted out that he was "Dropped from the official broadcast." The popular caster and streamer later explained what happened on his own stream before hosting his own viewing party. AussieAntics shared that his comments surrounding the final match of OCE FNCS All-Star Solos caused him to be removed.
What did AussieAntics say? And why?
First, context is needed surrounding Aussie's comments. AussieAntics is an Australian content creator, caster, and streamer. He rose to fame with the rise of competitive Fortnite. Aussie was and still is putting out some the best content in the scene. Additionally, he casted on the official Fortnite broadcast during the past few seasons and quickly became a fan favorite. The players also love him as he constantly highlighted their achievements.
Currently, AussieAntics covers everything competitive Fortnite from viewing parties to casting to YouTube videos about the scene. He is in tune with what is going on with the game.
During his OCE viewing party (on his own stream), Aussie commented on the actions of a player in the final match. A player named rivreyli, with 15 total points, landed on the player in 1st place, LunR. Given the scoreline it was fairly evident that rivreyli planned to grief the leader given he had no chances of winning himself. Rivreyli won the spawn fight and this got AussieAntics fired up.
The timestamp for the comments is 3:54:25 (AussieAntics' channel does not allow Clips)
AussieAntics proceeded to call rivreyli "a f***ing loser" and go at the kid. The words came from a moment of anger. He continued to say that "rivreyli is going nowhere in life and no one likes you." Aussie personally knows LunR which added to the frustration that another player ruined his tournament.
For the players, LunR had a great opportunity to win the tournament and this move robbed him of any chance. Instead, LunR finished in 3rd place, a $9,000 difference. At the moment, no action has been taken against the griefer, rivreyli.
AussieAntics explains himself and what is coming next
The caster explained that he had a meeting with the Fortnite team. The team told AussieAntics that he would be removed from the broadcast for breaking the community TOS guidelines. This move does not permanently bar him from casting Fortnite, but simply removed him from the ongoing tournament. Listen to AussieAntics' full explanation below.
Hopefully, Aussie returns to the broadcast. He knows the game and players extremely well. He also works very well with his partner MonsterDFace. The two provide viewers an extremely entertaining show. Aussie truly makes the broadcast better.
As usual, AussieAntics hosted a viewing party for the event he was supposed to cast. He stated that he would continue viewing parties regardless of his status as a caster.
The community stands with AussieAntics
After explaining the story, AussieAntics received tons of community support. Players from all over the world tweeted #FreeAussie. A retired player went as far as changing his name during the tournament to show his support. Williams "NRG Zayt" Aubin changed his in-game name to "JUSTICE4AUSSIE" during the tournament. He proceeded to play a single match then quit.
Later, Fortnite changed Zayt's name to a generic username. Either way, Zayt made a statement. He no longer plays the game and does not plan to pursue Fortnite any further. The #FreeAussie movement grew stronger with Zayt's move.
The support grew beyond Twitter or hashtags. Zayt made a statement during a tournament. Then fans continued to encourage AussieAntics as he stream reached more viewers than the official broadcast.
Regardless of whether or not he returns to the broadcast, AussieAntics built a community. He knows that fans, viewers, and players stand behind him. His streams should see an uptick from the publicity and he will continue to grow. The only question left is: Will AussieAntics return to the official Fortnite Broadcast?