Fortnite finally announces “ramping up” of legal action on cheaters and cheat sellers

Epic Games has announced plans to implement major changes aimed at intensifying their crackdown on cheaters and cheat sellers in Fortnite.

On November 26, the Fortnite Competitive Twitter/X account revealed that “significant changes” are on the way to combat cheating both in FNCS tournaments and across Fortnite more broadly.

The statement clarified that while these changes are not yet live, but they will roll out with the launch of Chapter 6 Season 1, set to arrive in just a few days on December 1, 2024.

Fortnite cheating update patch notes

In the full official blog post, they outlined the below key changes coming next season:

• We’re ramping up legal action against both players who cheat and cheat sellers.
• We continue working on and investing in new classes of detection to combat cheating in Fortnite, including technical changes in-game and continued iteration on all of our formats over time, from Ranked Cups to FNCS.
• We’ve restructured all tournaments to place cash prizes at the highest levels of competition in each region, including the new FNCS Divisional Cups, which will require players to advance through multiple rounds of competition before being able to compete for prizes. More details below.
• Anyone found teaming up with a cheater in a tournament will face a minimum 28-day competitive ban, which will increase in duration with every subsequent violation. Know your teammates well to avoid penalties.
• If players have a competitive ban of 14 days or longer, they will not be able to compete in FNCS tournaments during that season or any season that the ban overlaps with.
• We’re looking into additional competitive requirements before being eligible to play in tournaments with cash prizes.

Epic Games’ ramped-up legal action against cheaters and cheat sellers, alongside their investment in advanced cheat detection systems, are by far the biggest changes coming to Fortnite. These measures will impact not just competitive players, but every player in all the Battle Royale modes.

Players are left divided over changes

Several Fortnite players expressed an overwhelming amount of praise, “FINALLY!!!” echoed the comments of many. “Fortnite this Christmas gonna be miraculous,” another chimed in.

“Gotta give credit to Epic Games for finally cracking down on these cheaters. They are ruining the competitive scene,” one said.

Legendary Fortnite creator Avery replied: “Said this on stream today. Hats off to Epic for taking proper action.”

However, other players were less convinced and some strongly did not believe that any improvements would actually be made. “I will believe it when I see it,” a player simply stated.

“This sadly won’t change much. We might see a few less cheaters but chances are they will just lower their cheats a little so it’s not as obvious,” one said, adding that “the cheaters will always be one step ahead.”

Another responded: “They’re really not doing anything but paying lip service, just like Activision. Give it two weeks and cheating will be rampant to new highs again.”

Looking ahead to Chapter 6

Cheating in live-service games, particularly in competitive FPS and Battle Royale genres, such as Warzone and Apex Legends, has been a long-standing issue and will likely persist for years to come. We’ll have to wait and see if these proposed changes will prove to be successful in Chapter 6 and beyond.

In the lead-up to Chapter 6 Season 1, check out how to watch The Finale live event marking the end of Chapter 5, everything we know about next season’s map, and all the skins available in the upcoming Battle Pass.