Epic Games has brought the gauntlet down hard on a Fortnite tournament player who was caught cheating during the FNCS (Fortnite Championship Series), by making them post a public apology video and donating their prize money to charity. The Fortnite developer took legal action against Morgan Bamford, better known as RepulseGod, after they fraudulently qualified for the FNCS 2023 Global Championship that offered a $4m prize pool.
The online battle royale sandbox was first released in 2017 and boasted seven different game modes for players, including Save the World, Creative, and Lego Fortnite. FNCS is an annual esports tournament and one of the top-rated gaming competitions in the world. Fortnite recently confirmed Chapter 6 Season 1’s end date and Season 2’s start date, leaving players just a few days before Lawless rolls in, and 2025’s FNCS tournament began in tandem with Chapter 6’s launch back in January. Posted on Twitter, the Fortnite Competitive account shared a statement with the community, noting the team took legal action against a player who unfairly qualified for FNCS and banned them from Fortnite tournaments forever, similar to another competitive player who was sued by Fortnite last year for cheating, using certain software and hardware to get ahead of opponents. The developer also made the disgraced player post an apology video to the community to make an example of them, where it was revealed they shared their account with a friend to qualify for the tournament, which violated Epic’s rules. A 2024 study revealed the games with the best anti-cheat software, and Fortnite was given second place behind Valorant, on a list populated with titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Overwatch 2. Epic takes cheating extremely seriously, and it was confirmed the cheater would have to pay a monetary settlement including the prize money, which the developer will donate to charity. Epic recently unveiled new perks from Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 within a new trailer, showcasing the season’s heist theme alongside gameplay changes and Battle Pass skins, including the Big Dill and The Brat. Loot-filled duffel bags will be making a comeback to match the returning theme, and the season’s upgraded map will yield rail grinding, new weapons and gadgets, and heist-related rewards. Additionally, the previously leaked Rocket Drill was teased in the trailer, and fans also caught a glimpse of the laser beam used to cut into vaults.