Indonesian Minister Calls For Fortnite To Be Banned In The Country Over User Created Content

An Indonesian Minister has called for Fortnite to be banned in the country due to a user-generated map that allows for an in-game creation of a holy structure to be destroyed. As reported by CNN Indonesia and GamesIndustry.biz, Minister for Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno has announced plans to ban Fortnite in the country after the discovery of a user-created map that allegedly allows for players to destroy a building resembling the Kaaba, a sacred site for Muslims.

Epic Games made a statement on the Fortnite Middle East Facebook page clarifying that the map was in fact created by a community member in creative mode and the building cannot be destroyed on the map. “We would like to emphasize that our team respects all religions and works closely with our game content makers to provide a safe gaming experience for all our players.”

When contacted for further comment, Epic directed GameSpot to its statement on Facebook.

Prior to the statement by Epic, Sandiaga said that he heard the structure could be destroyed on the map and players would be awarded weapons and advancement through the level for destroying it.

“The game Fortnite is directly against lofty values, especially religious ones,” Sandiaga said in a statement. “This can trigger disrespectful behavior between religious communities and encourage acts of violence.”

Sandiaga said that he instructed a team to investigate the situation and issue a ban, hoping this would “warn some game developers to be careful.”

Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G. Plate has since acknowledged that the map was created by a user and not Epic. The national police of Indonesia are working to track down the creator of the map.