Epic Games is suing a former beta tester for leaking Fortnite Chapter 2 to the internet ahead of its actual release. In an impressive piece of media marketing, earlier this month Fortnite blew up its entire game world and left players staring at nothing but a black hole with access only to a secret minigame for over two days before returning with not only a new season of the popular battle royale, but an entire new chapter.
Fortnite Chapter 2 features swimming and fishing, two elements not in the game's original ten seasons, as well as new weapons, new vehicles, and a brand-new map for players to explore and battle on. Although Epic's flagship title took many players by surprise when it decided to blow everything up and start over, recent reports have revealed rumors of Fortnite Chapter 2 were leaked over a month ago, although no one believed them to be true at the time.
Now, it appears Epic Games is suing a former beta tester responsible for leaking information about the planned update. As reported by Polygon, Epic has filed a lawsuit in North Carolina claiming Ronald Sykes broke his non-discolsure agreement by informing other players of things he learned about the game during his experience as a tester for Fortnite. According to Epic Games' lawyers, Sykes did this "at the expense of Epic and those in the Fortnite community."
The lawsuit states Sykes played the game's upcoming content in late September, weeks before the Chapter 2 reveal, and then went on Twitter to dish out secrets from the new update, such as telling players about the swimming mechanic and even posting an image of the game's new map. Epic's lawyers are asking for injunctive relief and "maximum damage" from Sykes due to this breach of contract, which they say has caused problems which "Epic has sustained and will continue to sustain damages in an amount to be determined."
While most players are content to hunt for the mythic goldfish in Fortnite, others will always be trying to be the first to tell other people about upcoming content. Although no one seemed to really believe any of the Fortnite Chapter 2 rumors before the game's eventual explosion, it seems like Epic Games thinks that a certain portion of their fans had the surprise ruined for them. While Epic does not comment on ongoing litigation, others should take this as an example of Epic Games certainly not messing around when it comes to the privacy of their most popular franchise, and future Fortnite beta testers will probably think twice before sharing stories about work on the internet.
Source: Polygon