The crowd at the $30 million Fortnite World Cup finals made it very clear that they did not approve of pro player XXiF being there, booing him loudly when he was shown on screen.
XXiF was competing in the $15 million Duos half of the World Cup on July 27 with his partner Ronaldo, and many were unsure how the audience’s reaction would be if the infamous pro players were shown on the big screen.
Their question was answered when the production team switched XXiF’s point-of-view during the fourth match, the first time he had been shown on the broadcast.
While it took the crowd a few moments to realize what was going on, many started booing once they figured out whose POV was being shown.
The longer the broadcast stayed tuned in to his screen, the louder and thicker the chorus of boos became, as more and more fans in the crowd joined in on expressing their displeasure.
The crowd boos once more as XXiF and Ronaldo are shown. pic.twitter.com/blVEYArmj7
— Ford James :arrow_right:️ #FortniteWorldCup (@FordJamesGames) July 27, 2019
However, as it would turn out, the booing wasn’t even the best part. While XXiF was still being shown on the big monitor, 100 Thieves’ Elevate showed up and eliminated him.
Predictably, this led to an explosion of cheering from the crowd, as the fans’ displeasure turned into happiness at the fact that the controversial competitor had been wiped out live on the broadcast.
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Even 100 Thieves themselves took the liberty of pointing out that it was one of their own who eliminated XXiF, making light of the situation by saying that Elevate “plays for the people.”
.@ElevateFN plays for the people. #100T pic.twitter.com/MOyXYr0l3t
— 100 Thieves Live (@100ThievesLive) July 27, 2019
To call XXiF’s participation at the Fortnite World Cup finals a controversy would be a heavy understatement. The ex-Rise Nation player was found guilty of cheating by Epic Games themselves after he had been accused of teaming during the third weekend of Solos qualifiers, during which he qualified.
He was forced to relinquish his qualification spot and the prize money, and was handed a 14 days suspension from competitive play, the same punishment that his then-Rise teammate Ronaldo was given.
As fate would have it, following the conclusion of the suspension, the two players teamed up to qualify for the Duos event during the eight qualifier tournament, which led to extremely negative backlash from many in the community, including prominent content creators and pro players.
However, in Epic’s eyes, the punishment had been served, and the controversial pair were allowed to attend the Duos event in New York City, where they placed 28th with 17 points, earning $50,000 apiece.