Bring out the world’s smallest violins, because Fortnite ne’er-do-wells are having a tough time out there. The last couple of years have seen Epic Games ramp up efforts against players who break their rules, often in extremely public ways. This time, both a cheater and a hacker have both issued public statements as a part of their punishment in larger legal proceedings.
In a social media post, Epic Games says that it has taken legal action against two parties: one who sold cheats, and another who digitally attacked live streamers as they were playing Fortnite. Beyond being banned forever from the plucky battle royale game, both of these players have had to issue public statements on YouTube that acknowledge their transgressions.
The ex-Fortnite player responsible for the denial of service attacks, which overwhelm a target with internet traffic until they are incapable of moving freely, goes under the handle Zebsi. Though Zebsi only has a little over 2,000 followers on the platform as of this writing, they still published a text-heavy video where they say that they “regret my actions.” The video is a minute long but it only contains a couple of sentences.
In the other YouTube upload from an account with around 200 followers, a fan known as Mirrored admits that they not only used cheats during Fortnite tournaments, they also distributed cheats to other players. “I would like to apologize to the Fortnite community,” Mirrored writes before mentioning that they are banned for life from the game and will face legal action if they ever sell cheats again.
“If you break the rules there are consequences,” Epic states in the X post detailing the castigation of both players. This is the latest in a series of highly aggressive tactics against cheaters, including one settlement from a cheating lawsuit involving players who won $20,000 during a tournament that was donated to charity. So far, Epic Games has been involved in over a dozen lawsuits of a similar nature, though most of them have involved people who profit from illicit actions in Fortnite and not necessarily situations where someone disrupts the experience of other players.
Epic Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but its tactic to pursue legal action against cheaters has increasingly become common in the world of video games. Similar situations have transpired within games like Destiny 2 and Valorant, and these incidents can see millions of dollars at stake. Earlier this year, Epic Games also made headlines after suing a player for stealing and selling Fortnite accounts. Public apologies from cheat makers and sellers are also gaining increased visibility, as evidenced from this Call of Duty incident from five years ago. In more high-profile legal cases, like the one where Nintendo tapped the FBI to help its fight against piracy, companies seemingly try to use lawsuits to make an example out of the people they pursue.
Not all cases are nearly this serious, however. Sometimes, developers will find an in-game way to teach cheaters a lesson, as Rockstar did when it blew up GTA Online fans who used an exploit to drive a digital car. Though the Fortnite players who issued statements in July may not ever see a Victory Royale again, this likely won’t be the last time we hear about cheaters facing pressure from the companies who make games.
The post Fortnite fans forced to apologize to the public after getting banned for life appeared first on Polygon.
