Epic Games Sues Former Employee Over Fortnite Chapter 2 Leaks
Fortnite Chapter 2 was recently released and featured several changes and surprises for longtime fans. Epic Games teased the new chapter with a few trailers, but several trade secrets were also revealed by a leaker. Epic Games has decided to sue the former employee that leaked information about Fortnite Chapter 2.
Epic Games has filed a civil lawsuit against former employee Ronald Sykes with the District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Sykes was a “User Experience” tester and was able to play Fortnite Chapter 2 before it was released to the public. Sykes tweeted on his main account that he had “played S11 and can tell you the new stuff”. He then proceeded to tweet information about the game from an alternate Twitter account. The leaks included details about the new map and other features of the game. Epic Games claims that Sykes breached his non-disclosure agreement.
The company is particularly concerned about how the leaks have impacted the number of people interested in the game. The lawsuit contends that leaks, “...tend to lessen the excitement and enthusiasm of a game’s players and audience, potentially leading them to move to other games.” Epic Games also argued that they have “...sustained and will continue to sustain damages in an amount to be determined.” Sykes has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
Fortnite Chapter 2 was released on October 15th. The new chapter includes a fresh map, new weapons and vehicles, and the ability to fish and swim. Epic Games had been teasing Chapter 2 for months. They placed several Easter eggs throughout their game and took down the game for over a day. Epic Games has also updated their Battle Pass to make it easier to level up and earn XP and medals. Most fans seem pleased by the update.
Epic Games is also facing another kind of lawsuit. A Montréal family is suing Epic Games for making Fortnite “too addicting” and purposely targeting children. Their legal time claims that it a developer’s duty to warn if customers if their product could be addicting. This court case is fairly recent and has yet to be resolved.
Epic Games has filed a civil lawsuit against former employee Ronald Sykes with the District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Sykes was a “User Experience” tester and was able to play Fortnite Chapter 2 before it was released to the public. Sykes tweeted on his main account that he had “played S11 and can tell you the new stuff”. He then proceeded to tweet information about the game from an alternate Twitter account. The leaks included details about the new map and other features of the game. Epic Games claims that Sykes breached his non-disclosure agreement.
The company is particularly concerned about how the leaks have impacted the number of people interested in the game. The lawsuit contends that leaks, “...tend to lessen the excitement and enthusiasm of a game’s players and audience, potentially leading them to move to other games.” Epic Games also argued that they have “...sustained and will continue to sustain damages in an amount to be determined.” Sykes has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
Fortnite Chapter 2 was released on October 15th. The new chapter includes a fresh map, new weapons and vehicles, and the ability to fish and swim. Epic Games had been teasing Chapter 2 for months. They placed several Easter eggs throughout their game and took down the game for over a day. Epic Games has also updated their Battle Pass to make it easier to level up and earn XP and medals. Most fans seem pleased by the update.
Epic Games is also facing another kind of lawsuit. A Montréal family is suing Epic Games for making Fortnite “too addicting” and purposely targeting children. Their legal time claims that it a developer’s duty to warn if customers if their product could be addicting. This court case is fairly recent and has yet to be resolved.
