A Fortnite user experience tester is experiencing the wrath of Epic Games after the studio filed a lawsuit. According to reports, the tester allegedly spoiled the game’s Chapter 2.
The studio filed the lawsuit in a North Carolina court, alleging that Ronald Sykes — known by his Twitter name (profile has since been deleted, though) @invisiblellama9 — leaked information about the game’s newly-launched Chapter 2.
Back in October, the game went offline for at least two days. Epic Games said that a black hole had devoured the game. Of course, this narrative is just part of the company’s overall marketing plan, which ended up successful. When the game returned, a new map and a bunch of significant improvements arrived as well. Apparently, it is part of an event that the studio had been trying work on for months through the game’s first 10 seasons, with “hints and hidden ‘Easter eggs’.”
The lawsuit stated that Sykes violated a non-disclosure agreement when he revealed the information he obtained as a Fortnite user experience tester. “He did so at the expense of Epic and those in the Fortnite community who were anxiously awaiting the new season of Fortnite only to have some of Epic’s planned surprises spoiled by Sykes’ leaks,” lawyers wrote.
Sykes played the new content back in September. Three days later, however, he tweeted at another Twitter user that he was lucky to play “S11 and can tell you the new stuff.” He tweeted again, but this time from a different account, revealing that in the new chapter, players would have the ability to swim. He continued to post updates about the game’s secrets, one of which is the image of the new map, all the way up to the event.
Epic Games is asking for injunctive relief and maximum damages for the Fortnite user’s breach of contract, including the “misappropriation” of trade secrets he reportedly obtained upon testing for the studio. “As a direct result of Sykes’ breach of his contractual obligations under his NDA, Epic has sustained and will continue to sustain damages in an amount to be determined,” the company said in the lawsuit.
