Epic Games Removes Sabrina Carpenter's Caffeinated Emote from Fortnite After Player Backlash

Epic Games has removed one of Sabrina Carpenter's emotes from Fortnite just hours after its release in the Item Shop.

The emote, called Caffeinated, debuted as part of Fortnite's Icon Series on October 17. As the name suggests, the animation was based on Espresso, a hit song from Sabrina Carpenter's 2024 album Short n' Sweet. However, mere hours after it became available for purchase, the emote was pulled from the Item Shop.

Fortnite's official service Twitter account confirmed the removal, describing it as a "temporary" measure, though no specific reason was provided. Epic Games assured players that details about when Caffeinated will return to the Item Shop would be shared in due course. The lack of a definitive timeline indicates that the re-release will depend on how quickly the developer can address the underlying issue.

Player Reactions to the Sabrina Carpenter Emote

Many Fortnite players expressed dissatisfaction with the Caffeinated emote, which could provide clues about the removal. Some players criticized the use of a faster version of Espresso for the emote, with one popular Reddit comment stating, "it sounds awful sped up." While some fans accused Epic of ruining the song, the emote actually used the lesser-known "Double Shot" version of Espresso, which features faster vocals and a higher tempo.

While the faster, nightcore-style Double Shot Version of Espresso might be more suitable for an energetic emote, some fans argued that the slower original would have worked just as well for a dance. For comparison, Epic Games chose not to use a sped-up version of Sabrina Carpenter's song Feather when it released the Sonic Surfer emote alongside Caffeinated in mid-October 2024.

It's possible that Caffeinated was pulled so Epic Games could rework the emote in response to fan feedback, delivering a version that would be more popular with players. However, this scenario remains uncertain, as Epic is not typically known for redesigning emotes based on player opinions. In the few cases where Epic has reworked an emote, it was usually due to technical issues, such as bugs or crashes caused by the animation.