Epic Games has announced that they will go easier on cheaters in Fortnite.
Fortnite cheaters are getting a milder punishment from now on.
Cheating in Fortnite
Encountering cheaters in Fortnite is, unfortunately, not a rare phenomenon. So much so that Epic even posts anti-cheat updates with actions they've taken against dishonest players recently. However, Epic mostly sues people who either make money off illegally selling accounts or cheat in official, paid tournaments.
In other words, Epic only takes cases to court if they make Epic lose money. People who cheat in normal matches usually only get banned, if anything. And even these bans aren't very effective because most banned users will just make a new account and then continue cheating.
This has caused long-term players to complain about a rising number of cheaters, saying the issue is getting progressively worse. There are regular posts discussing the problem on the official Battle Royale subreddit, these are some of their headlines:
Cheating continues to get worse and worse every season. - u/GuardianofM
Cheating in Fortnite is out of control - u/Big-Scallion-3058
Fortnite has become infested with cheaters and most players don’t even know. - u/vSnowSky
Epic Games Limits The Ban Time For Cheaters
But despite all of this outrage, Epic Games has now announced that the punishment for cheating will get milder instead of stricter:
In a blog post on Fortnite's official website, Epic Games has announced that cheaters will now only be banned for a year instead of indefinitely, at least for their first offense:
While maintaining game integrity is our top priority, we also believe in allowing second chances for players who made a bad decision and have learned from it. Starting in April, we’ll be moving to a one-year matchmaking ban for first-time cheating offenses, allowing former cheaters to learn from their mistakes while still punishing and deterring cheating. A second offense will result in a lifetime ban. - Epic Games
Punished players will only be able to use the text and voice chat but nothing else in the game for a year, including spectating. Cheating in tournaments will still be punished more severely, with a 1-year ban in the game, lifelong bans for tournaments, potential loss of previous prizes and potential legal action.
Also, selling cheats or breaking other rules that have resulted in a lifelong ban will still be handled the way it was before, plus potential legal action.
It will be interesting to see how this change will be received by the community - after all, there were already players complaining about Epic not doing enough about cheaters before. At the same time, though, a limited ban might keep people from creating a new account because they at least know they're going to get the old one back.
What do you think about this decision? Do you think it will help with the cheating problem? Tell us your opinion in the comments!