Fortnite’s popular Wager matches facing severe steps from the game’s developer- Epic Games.
Fortnite is an online video game developed by Epic Games. The action-packed game comes with 3 different modes that allow the players to engage in different types of combat. The game became greatly popular in a short period of time and got a massive success, attracting more than 125 million players in less than a year. However, the wager matches that recently became popular among pro players of the game, might have harsh steps taken against them by the developers themselves i.e. from Epic Games.
Pro Fortnite players used these wager matches as a means to keep themselves occupied between official tournaments. Since pro players like to spend most of their time playing the game, wager matches seem a perfect way to drive the boredom away. They also serve as great opportunities for them to interact with fans and engage with them within the game. However, these wager matches can be considered immoral, as they involve small as well as huge sums of money.
Fortnite’s New Development.
The latest update of Fortnite bought about tons of new features which absolutely thrilled the fans. The latest season update featured a redesigned map, a brand new battle pass, never seen before NPCs or Non-Player Characters, with tons of new skins which included Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, Raven from DC’s Teen Titans, along with the Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. These amazing new features have been keeping the mediocre players busy but that’s not the case with the skilled pros. NRG Esports’s Pro Fortnite player Clix revealed Epic Games’ crackdown on these wager matches by a tweet on March 26.
He revealed that he received a warning directly from the game’s developers (Epic Games), which prohibited him from being involved in wager matches or else facing high penalties including a ban. “Won’t be playing or having anything to do with wagers anymore, just got personally messaged by epic and was told to stop or will result in a ban. Recommend others to stop as well, tweeting this so people are aware.” he wrote in his tweet. Clix’s tweet was meant to inform other pro players of this development so that they can also cease any involvement in these matches to avoid any unfavorable outcomes. Although there hasn’t been any official word on this by Epic Games, an official statement is expected to be released soon.
The Cause For Taking These Steps
Wager matches involve competing for different amounts of money which can be considered to be a form of gambling. Gambling’s involvement in the game violates the terms of service of the company, which explains why Epic Games is taking such severe steps to stop them. Since most of the pro-Fortnite players are youngsters who are below the legal gambling age, the number of people in violation of T&Cs is high which might result in the developers facing legal issues. Hence their actions are justified although they may not be in favor of the players.
