A US court has ruled in favor of Epic Games in summary proceedings. Fortnite pro ‘Sabortian’ has been sentenced to a heavy fine and a lifetime ban.
Epic Games had already taken legal action against Fortnite player Sebastian Araujo in December last year. As the company announced on the X platform, a lawsuit was filed against the player for allegedly cheating in official tournaments.
According to Epic, Araujo, who played under the pseudonym ‘Sabortian’, used both software and hardware manipulation. He allegedly attempted to conceal his activities by using multiple accounts.
‘Sabortian’ never responded to the lawsuit
Just under six months later, the verdict was handed down: A US court ruled in favor of Epic Games in a summary judgment, partly because ‘Sabortian’ never responded to the lawsuit. Araujo must now pay a fine of US$175,000.
According to the company, the money will be donated to the non-profit organization Child’s Play, which is committed to providing toys and entertainment electronics to sick children in hospitals. In addition, ‘Sabortian’ has been banned for life.
Bamford was also caught
Even aside from the Araujo case, Epic Games is taking a clear stance on fraud. In mid-February 2024, Fortnite pro Morgan Bamford admitted to cheating his way into the Grand Finals of the Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) 2023 by sharing his account.
Epic Games responded immediately, announcing on X: “Cheating is never a winning strategy. We have taken legal action against a player who shared their account to unfairly qualify for FNCS. They are now permanently banned from Fortnite tournaments.”
According to the publisher, the £20,000 prize money won by Bamford at the time was also donated to Child’s Play.
