Epic Sues Fortnite Streamers For Advertising Cheats

Epic Games has filed suit against two game streamers for posting videos of cheats in Fortnite and directing users to purchase those cheat tools. Brandon Lucas, who goes by "Golden Modz," is being sued for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, breach of contract, and "tortious interference." Colton Conter ("Excentric") who often appears with Lucas in his streams, was also named in the suit.

Engadget reports that Epic is requesting that Lucas and Conter earnings be disgorged--giving Epic an extra share of their profits since they were obtained unjustly--along with standard damages and court costs. It has also requested that YouTube pull several videos. The studio isn't exactly hurting for money, so the tough legal stance appears aimed primarily at sending a message to cheaters.

Lucas, for his part, has said that other streamers were participating in similar behavior, and so he didn't think of his videos as problematic.

Cheating has been a pervasive problem for Fortnite. On top of the usual rationale of protecting the sanctity of its game, Epic has reason to be concerned about phishing schemes from sites claiming to give away cheats-enabled versions. The studio is aiming to beef up its anti-cheat mechanisms in the game itself, but cutting off the source by discouraging streamers from promoting cheats could help mitigate the need for those later steps.

For help making progress the old fashioned way, check out our challenges guide. That will help you earn progress toward your Battle Pass to earn this season's cosmetic items. Or for some lighter entertainment, watch daytime talk show host Ellen playing Fortnite with Ninja.