“Cheating is never a winning strat.”
Fortnite's campaign to eliminate cheaters took a promising turn today. After concluding an Oceania player named RepulseGod cheated to qualify for the 2023 Fortnite FNCS Global Championship, the details of a lawsuit emerged. Epic Games won the case in humiliating fashion.
They banned RepulseGod from all tournaments, donated his undeserving prize money to charity, and forced him to apologize in a video posted on his own YouTube channel. Here's how the situation played out and why cheating in the game has become ill-advised.
How RepulseGod cheated in Fortnite and had the book thrown at him
Epic Games is on a crusade to discipline Fortnite cheaters, especially in tournaments. The official Fortnite Competitive X account posted the outcome of a lawsuit launched against the now-banned player Morgan "RepulseGod" Bamford.
Following an investigation and subsequent lawsuit, Epic Games discovered that RepulseGod deceptively qualified for the 2023 FNCS Global Championship. He and another player named Jace supposedly won FNCS Major 3 in 2023 to secure their spot in Copenhagen that fall.
Upon arriving at the nearly $4 million LAN tournament, the two players were disqualified and forced to leave the country immediately. Few knew what happened, but it has become clear that RepulseGod wrongfully shared his account with another player named Forbes, who competed alongside Jace.
Epic Games issued the following statement regarding the case against RepulseGod:
"Cheating is never a winning strat. We took legal action against a player who shared their account to unfairly qualify for FNCS. Now they’re banned from Fortnite tournaments forever and their undeserved prize money was donated to charity."
The situation grows more embarrassing with each additional detail, as the punishment is harsh and an example of what Epic Games plans to do to all Fortnite cheaters.
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How Epic Games disciplined the FNCS cheater
Epic Games' punishment is unlike any we've seen before. In addition to banning RepulseGod from all Fortnite tournaments, the company will receive a monetary payout and donate his wrongfully acquired winnings to charity. Taking that one step further, the lawsuit forced the player to apologize on his official YouTube channel.
RepulseGod posted a video titled "15 February 2025" on Feb. 15, but it came and went without much attention. However, since Epic Games' statement, it has quickly ballooned to 10,000 views. The apology video features no audio but rather black text against a white background that reads as follows:
"Hey everyone, this is RepulseGod.
I shared my Epic Games account with another user, Forbes, to qualify for the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series Grand Finals. My actions violated Epics rules and I was disqualified from the tournament.
Epic took legal action against me and now Im banned from participating in Fortnite tournaments forever. I also have to pay monetary settlement, which includes the prize money I received but did not win fairly, which Epic will donate to charity.
Cheating in tournaments ruins the fun for players who earned their spot in tournaments and I apologise to the Fortnite community for my actions. I won't ever cheat in Fortnite again."
The community responded positively to this outcome since cheaters have run rampant in the Fortnite competitive scene for many years. Epic's recent crackdown is an example of the lengths the company will extend to punish cheaters and ruin the integrity of the game.
RepulseGod previously succeeded in Fortnite, finishing fourth at DreamHack Anaheim 2019 and managing high placements in several OCE Fortnite Champion Series events. The outcome of this lawsuit is a cautionary tale for those who have cheated and continue to cheat in Fortnite.
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