It is well known that there are only 22 countries in the entire world that Britain has never invaded in its history. But now we can add Fortnite to that list. That's because the British Army abandoned plans to host a live-streaming tournament of influencer-led teams on its own Fortnite custom map this weekend.

The plan, dubbed "Operation: Belong," was revealed on the official Fortnite website last week, showcasing a custom-made map that would be the battleground for influencers Yung Filly and Elz the Witch It was revealed in a rousing video. All evidence of the video has since been removed, but the intent was clear to me! Join the Army!"

A text message laid over the gameplay of Fortnite underscored the point: "You belong here. Work as one. Test your agility. Solve the riddles. Overcome obstacles. Apply your training."

If you remember what happened when the US Army tried live streaming (hint: it didn't work), you can imagine what the reaction to the British Army's foray into Fortnite was like. Multiple comments on social media called it "ridiculous Black Mirror bullshit," "vile," "immoral," and "sick in the head." Predictably, one asked the British Army Twitter account, which tweeted about the Fortnight project, what its favorite war crime was. The Army chose not to respond.

Epic Games declined to comment on the Army-created map, other than to say that it is currently under a standard moderation process; Epic's rules state that commercial content and sponsors may not "promote enlistment in the military," so this was awkward could have been.

The British Army told PC Gamer that the map and live streaming competition was simply to raise awareness of the military's role and values and was not aimed at children: the influencers participating in the program were mostly viewers over the age of 18 and the military also planned to incorporate an 18+ age limit to view the stream. The map itself was not intended for public viewing, but was designed specifically for a one-time live stream.

Despite these defenses, the military surely knows that there are a great many gamers out there, many of them young, and that they are a very fertile field of potential recruits. The U.S. Army is the first and most famous example, and in recent years the Army has sent recruiters to major esports tournaments and sponsored an "esports lab" for American high schools.

More pointedly (i.e., really on the nose here), the U.S. Army has established its own official esports team and operates as part of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. The Army has somewhat scaled back its public gaming operations in recent years: it has been two years since the Army last streamed on Twitch, but it is still there, seeking engagement and recognition:

Given the blowback against the US Army's serious commitment to gaming, the UK essentially decided to do essentially the same thing is a bit surprising. While the desire to rehabilitate the Army's image is understandable, fortniting in the midst of heightened global tensions and open military conflict is probably not the most sensible approach. This is especially strange since the Army is supposed to be so good at strategy and other matters.

Like the U.S. Army, the British Army has struggled to meet its recruitment targets in recent years; according to a UK Defence Journal report in January, the Army has not met its annual recruitment targets since 2010. Perhaps this is a case of "necessity being the mother of all bad ideas."