It seems that Epic Games can’t catch a break when it comes to cheating in its highly-successful shooter game, Fortnite. Now, the studio has filed a lawsuit against a famous YouTube personality named Brandon Lucas (Golden Modz), and his partner, Colton Conter (Excentric), for allegedly using and selling cheats in the game.

Lucas allegedly violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and committed “tortious interference” by uploading videos in his YouTube channel that has over 1.7 million subscribers, showcasing his cheating in Fortnite and selling cheat tools via his website. Conter, on the other hand, would sometimes participate in said videos, which is why Epic included him in the lawsuit.

Of course, Lucas pleaded innocent, saying that there was nothing wrong with his behavior and that other YouTube channels were doing the same thing. However, Epic Games revealed that it has asked YouTube to pull several of the videos, and wanted to send a clear message with the lawsuit to dissuade other cheaters. If Epic wins the case, its lawyers will go after the profits made from the cheating plus damages and court costs. Epic is firm with its stance on cheating and would like players to understand that it would be unprofitable to engage in any cheating activity and would only result to grave consequences.

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Ever since the release of Fortnite back in 2017, Epic has been tirelessly battling cheaters while continuously improving its security measures to prevent cheating in the game. Epic previously banned thousands of Fortnite users in an attempt to address the growing concerns regarding cheating, and revealed that it has “no plans to stop.”

Less than a year ago, Epic decided to bring several cheaters to court, which included a 14-year-old minor. Epic claimed during the proceedings that it was unaware of the cheater’s age. In the end, the two parties reached a settlement that prevented the user from “creating, writing, developing, advertising, promoting, and/or distributing anything that infringes Epic’s works now or hereafter protected by any of Epic’s copyrights.”

As Fortnite soars popularity especially after its release to mobile devices, it is not surprising how some players would want to engage in cheating either to get ahead in the game, or profit from other players by selling cheat tools. However, Epic has been consistent with how it deals with cheaters, which may appear drastic to some, but is a necessary step for the developer to ensure the safety of players and fair gameplay experience for all.

Fortnite is out now in early access for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Source: Engadget