The latest target of Tesla TSLA, +2.39% CEO Elon Musk’s ire? The video game Fortnite. In a post on Twitter, Musk jokingly claimed on Friday to have purchased and then deleted the popular online video game, saying it “had to been (sic) done.” The tweet included an image that appears to be an edited screenshot of a MarketWatch article. Fortnite’s official Twitter TWTR, +1.49% account responded by poking fun at the fact that it will take a decade for Musk’s SpaceX to build its first base on Mars. Musk replied, saying, “Reality is hard.” Fortnite is an online video game that was first released in 2017 and can be played on many devices, including Windows computers MSFT, -0.09% , Android GOOGL, +0.74% and Apple AAPL, -0.04% mobile devices, the Nintendo Switch NTDOY, +1.20% , the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 US:SNE. The Battle Royale mode of the game had 125 million players as of June. More:Here’s how much Tesla lost in market cap now that Musk’s SEC settlement is approved Musk’s post also elicited a slew of retorts from the Tesla and Fortnite fans alike. An Elon Musk parody account called Bored Elon Musk tweeted that Musk should “stay in [his] lane.” (Musk, in a reply, suggested that he may be the creator of the parody account.) Others joked that Musk should buy T-Series, the Indian music record label that runs a YouTube channel with the second largest number of subscribers behind video game commentator PewDiePie. Another Twitter user suggested that Musk “buy and delete” Ford F, +8.51% instead. Musk engaged with many of the people who commented on the tweet, including one person who took issue with his implication that Fortnite players don’t have social lives. The game is wildly popular with young men — much to the dismay of some of their parents, who are sometimes left to foot the bill when players buy extras while they’re playing. See: SEC settlement forces Tesla to give Elon Musk adult supervision In late September, Musk and Tesla agreed to a $40 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over fraud charges related to Musk’s tweets earlier this year in which he claimed to be exploring taking the automaker private. The settlement also forced Tesla to remove Musk as chairman of the board and required the company to set up guidelines and oversight regarding Musk’s social media presence.<doc-sep>No, Fortnite has not been deleted by Epic Games When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks Every so often, new Fortnite rumours spring up regarding the game getting deleted for some reason. Be it through a lawsuit or some other vague issue; Epic Games have been repeatedly linked to shutting down the popular Battle Royale game. And you can tell when they do return, as the question - Has Fortnite been deleted? Starts to trend on Google. The good news is that Epic Games are very unlikely to ever shut down Fortnite Battle Royale when so many people are playing it. The game’s original mode - Save the World - seems a more likely candidate to be shut down. However, STW has a very dedicated fanbase who remain active and online in sizeable numbers. So why are fans asking whether Fortnite is being deleted this week? It all appears to stem from a joke shared by SpaceX founder, Elon Musk, on Twitter.<doc-sep>Elon Musk is engaged in a bizarre fight with Fortnite fans after he appeared to call them "virgins". The SpaceX and Tesla boss – who has been repeatedly criticised over his tweets – posted a picture of a fake news article that seemed to suggest fans of the video game are "virgins". "Elon Musk buys Fortnite and deletes it," the hoax news story, shared on Mr Musk's Twitter, read. It claimed that the billionaire had said he had to remove the game to protect players from "eternal virginity". Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. 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March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty He shared the bizarre post with a message reading: "Had to been done ur welcome". Recommended Elon Musk reveals first Boring tunnel under LA is almost ready Developers Epic responded to the posts joking about the fact that Mr Musk had said it would take 10 years to build a Mars base. "A whole decade, @elonmusk? Just build, LOL!" the game's official account posted. Mr Musk wrote a response that post in which he said only that "reality is hard". The original tweet has now been retweeted more than 360,000 times and has gained 17,000 replies. Many of the comments came from either Fortnite or Tesla fans, who offered more or less humorous attacks on the pair. The article in Mr Musk's tweet appears to be a reference to a broader pattern on the internet, where fake rumours about Fortnite abound. Repeatedly, false stories suggest that the company will be shutting down its free battle royale mode, and the post might be a reference to that rumour.<doc-sep>
More Fortnite rumours have emerged over the weekend because of a joke tweet from Elon Musk Fortnite is often at the centre of various rumours, whether that’s about new skins, leaked weekly challenges or whether or not it’s beloved Battle Royale mode is about to be deleted. This weekend, fresh rumours appeared due to some bizarre tweets from the equally notorious Elon Musk. He shared a fake news article in which he is claimed to have bought Fortnite and deleted it to “save these kids from eternal virginity”, saying that “it had to be done”: Had to been done ur welcome pic.twitter.com/7jT0f9lqIS — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 19, 2018 This isn’t the first time Musk has tried to relate with gamers, often adding in little gaming easter eggs into Tesla models, such as the 9.0 vehicle’s software update which includes several playable Atari games. It also isn’t the first time that there have been rumours about Fortnite and/or Battle Royale being deleted. Much like the celebrity death rumours, every few weeks or so there is a supposed leak “confirming” it’s soon-to-be deletion. PUBG developer Bluehole previously tried to sue Epic Games for copyright infringement in a long war of the Battle Royales, prompting a spate of hoax messages claiming that they would immediately be deleting the mode from Fortnite. Unscheduled emergency maintenance was also the source of rumours back in April, where fans took just over 12 hours downtime as a sign that Battle Royale was gone for good. A fake screenshot of a tweet was shared widely across all platforms, despite there being no activity on the official Twitter account. A similar tweet was sent out in September from a fake Epic Games account, thanking fans for their support. Epic Games has always been quick to refute these messages, though we can’t help but wonder who has the time or energy to come up with well-doctored images to send millions of players into a frenzy. It’s safe to say that the Battle Bus, purple cubes and bizarre map events are here to stay for the foreseeable future, so remember to thank your driver. Fortnite Season 6 Weekly challenges If you’re currently working your way through the Fortnite Season 6 Battle Pass, here are all the challenges so far: