Fortnite Is Making A Controversial Change For Competitive Play, Ninja Responds

Epic’s hugely popular battle royale game Fortnite is rolling out a significant change for its competitive tournaments in 2020. The company is attempting to crack down on cheating by taking action against players who “signal” each other while playing in official tournaments.

In a blog post, Epic said it discovered last year that players were sending and receiving signals during tournaments as a method of cheating. Players on opposing sides would swing their pick axe, perform an emote, toss toys, or simply jump to give another player a heads up.

This year, Epic will take action against “any kind of in-game communication.” This includes but is not limited to, pick-axe swinging, emoting, toy tossing, and jumping.”

Players who are caught signaling will receive a “collusion” penalty. Those who break the rules again and again may face harsher penalties, Epic said.

Epic said it takes competitive integrity seriously, and reminded players they can report suspicious behavior through Fortnite’s in-game tools. Additionally, players can reach out to Epic through the company’s player support team.

One of the world’s most popular Fortnite players, Ninja, said in a tweet that he understands Epic’s position, but he also remarked that the new system is potentially problematic. He specifically took issue with how jumping could be an actionable offense.

It’s worth mentioning that Epic’s own statement makes it clear that any action will only be taken following a review. Simply jumping around, if it’s harmless and not related to signalling, won’t land you in any trouble, it seems.

In other Fortnite news, Epic has partnered with TikTok for a special contest where your dance emote could be featured in the game.