Fortniteās Peely is a grotesquery of the highest order. You know it, I know it, and even Apple knows it. Yet somehow, Epic Games managed to convince a United States district judge that this elongated, yellow monster is ājust a banana man,ā at least according to todayās ruling in the contentious court case between the two tech behemoths.
It all started when Epic and Apple engaged in a bizarre courtroom digression back in May concerning Peely and his attire during a Fortnite gameplay demonstration. Appleās lawyer, seemingly in an attempt to tie Peely to a previous argument concerning the presence of adult games on the Epic Games Store, made an off-hand remark about why Apple chose the tuxedo-wearing Agent Peely skin for the demo.
āWe thought it better to go with the suit than the naked banana since we are in federal court this morning,ā the lawyer said while questioning Epic vice president of marketing Matthew Weissinger.
Not willing to let whatever that was slide, however, Epicās lawyer returned to the subject of Peelyās disgusting body while cross-examining Weissinger.
āThere might have been an implication that to show Peely without a suit would have been inappropriate, do you recall that? Is there anything inappropriate about Peely without a suit?ā Epicās lawyer asked.
āNo there is not,ā Weissinger responded.
āIs there anything inappropriate about Peely without clothes?ā the lawyer continued, bringing up a picture of Peely for the rest of the courtroom to see.
āItās just a banana man.ā Weissinger said.
Just a banana man. A little understated, in my opinion, but Iām guessing a court setting is probably a bad place to launch into a horrified tirade about how the eldritch abomination known as Peely just wonāt stay dead no matter how many times you try
Sadly, the ruling filed by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers today indicates she was swayed by Weissingerās nonchalant assertion that thereās nothing at all wrong with Peely or his supposed nakedness.
āWith respect to the appropriateness of Peelyās ādress,ā the Court understood Apple merely to be ādressingā Peely in a tuxedo for federal court,ā the judgment reads, āas jest to reflect the general solemnity of a federal court proceeding. As Mr. Weissinger later remarked, and with which the Court agrees, Peely is ājust a banana man,ā additional attire was not necessary but informative.ā
But donāt let this ruling fool you; thereās nothing banana nor man about Peely. Every appearance by this Lovecraftian ghoul should be considered inappropriate, and shame on everyone responsible for normalizing it.