Epic recently emphasized Fortnite’s competitive integrity following the finalization of the first week Fortnite World Cup qualifiers. The label detailed the number of Fortnite players who were caught cheating. The methods of these cheaters and the accompanying punishments were also discussed.
In total, 206 players will be forced to forfeit their winnings because they cheated. The methods were not limited to the use of cheating software.
To recap, around $1 million has been released each week for the weekly qualifiers. With 206 first week qualifiers out of the picture, there will be some players who’ll gain a few thousand bucks.
In two weeks, around 1163 player accounts were banned merely for side-stepping their region locks. Doing this gave them more than one attempt to qualify for the Fortnite World Cup.
Out of the 1163 accounts, 196 needed to forego the prize money. As of now, the amount of money lost is not clear. It’s also not clear of those banned accounts were able to qualify.
Aside from these, 48 players were also temporarily banned for seven days for sharing accounts. These people offered their account to players who they think had better shot at winning the prize money.
On the other hand, nine accounts were sharing with friends that were able to get their hands on the cash. The money they shared, however, will be given back to Epic.
There were also additional eight accounts which were banned for forming a team. The duration of the ban is not stated, it could be permanent. For most gamers and for Epic, teaming is the most annoying cheat ever. Teaming is having two gamers get into the same game and coordinate. They effectively work as a duo against other solo players. It’s infuriating, indeed.
Finally, there was one player who got a permanent ban. The reason for his punishment is because he used actual cheating software. Unfortunately for him, his account only played for a total of 5 minutes before he was permanently banned.
Talk about how digital karma can be! It was a failed experiment for that gamer. It’s just a bit surprising that only one person actually tried to use cheat software, considering the prize money and the bragging rights at stake.
Though catching and punishing these cheaters won’t make the game exciting, it’s reassuring for those who honestly played the game. The battlefield has now been leveled evenly.
Everyone is on the same frustrating ground. Let’s see who takes home the cash and the overflowing bragging rights.
