Epic Games’ zero-tolerance stance on cheating in Fortnite has stirred somewhat of a controversy as of late.
Following what will surely be looked back on as a poorly-judged stunt, popular streamer FaZe Jarvis Khattri was banned from the battle royale over the weekend for their use of aimbot software. Such programs, which are strictly prohibited, allows users to gain an unfair advantage over other players by eliminating the need for manual aiming. The cheats are especially prevalent in competitive shooters, with both Respawn’s Apex Legends and Blizzard’s Overwatch struggling to combat the issue in the past.
As for Jarvis, the career streamer has released a video on his YouTube account admitting that his actions were “completely wrong on my end.”
The apology, which has garnered more than 4 million views in less than two days, has prompted Jarvis’ fans to collectively call on Epic to reconsider its decision which, if an official statement provided by the studio is any indication, is looking increasingly unlikely to happen.
“When people use aimbots or other cheat technologies to gain an unfair advantage, they ruin games for people who are playing fairly,” says the developer, seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin for the offender’s reinstatement.
The counterargument to that, however, is that the account on which the streamer used the software was separate to the one used to stream. Likewise, other commenters have highlighted how other popular influencers have been issued a much less severe two-week ban in the past for similar rule-breaking. Cheaters are freely able to create new accounts, of course, but Epic’s anti-cheating software appears able to recognize the source of creation and immediately prevent any repeated attempts to play Fortnite.
It’s not looking good for Jarvis, then, but what do you think? Has Epic been too heavy-handed here, or is its hardline stance perfectly justified? Let us know in the usual place below!
