Fortnite cheating $175,000 fine to be donated to charity

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 26/06/2025

One competitive Fortnite cheating attempt has led to a substantial charity donation. 

A serial cheater was fined $175,000 in court after being caught using banned software and hardware in tournaments. Fortnite has pledged to donate the money it collects to charity, while the player in question has been permanently banned from the game.  

The November 2024 Fortnite cheating crackdown

Fortnite runs a comprehensive calendar of tournaments under the “FNCS,” or “Fortnite Championship Series.” The FNCS is open to all players matching the required skill level and rules. 

At the highest levels of the FNCS, professional players compete in Regional Leagues, Majors, and Global Championships. At the same time, fans can weigh the odds of their favourite pros winning on dedicated Fortnite betting sites. 

In a bid to tackle Fortnite cheating rates in competitive tournaments, the FNCS initiated a crackdown in November 2024. 

In their November 26th blog post, they outlined the following changes to anti-cheating rules and competitive integrity: 

• “Anyone found teaming up with a cheater in a tournament will face a minimum 28-day competitive ban, which will increase in duration with every subsequent violation”
• “If players have a competitive ban on 14 days or longer, they will not be able to compete in FNCS tournaments during that season or any season that the ban overlaps with.”
• “We’re also ramping up legal action against both players who cheat and cheat sellers.” 

Jumpstarting legal action less than a month later

It didn’t take long for players to find out that the FNCS was not bluffing. Less than a month after their updated competitive integrity rules were released, a lawsuit was submitted for cheating. 

After using cheating software and hardware and then attempting to avoid bans by creating multiple accounts, one Fortnite cheater faced legal proceedings. 

Overwhelmingly, the community celebrated the increased brutality in tackling Fortnite cheating. Professional players and fans alike encouraged the legal approach, with 100 Thieves co-owner Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop commenting, “Sue them all!”

Charity donations set to roll in, accompanied by a lifetime ban

Over six months after the FNCS announced their legal pursuit, the tournament organisers have published the resolution. 

Although a majority of comments continued to support pursuing legal action, some also questioned the effectiveness of this approach. 

One comment noted, “They should have a good enough anticheat to prevent people from cheating in the first place.” 

This is not the first time the FNCS has publicly incited legal action against Fortnite cheaters. 

In February 2025, they announced that a player who engaged in account sharing would now face a lifetime ban from all Fortnite tournaments. Through the lawsuit, the player was also required to agree to a monetary settlement. 

Included in this settlement was the confiscation of all prize money, which was then donated to charity. 

Famously, this particular culprit released an apology statement on YouTube. The user ‘Respulse’ published a video named “15 February 2025” where text on a white background stated their confession, apology, and repentance. 

While Fortnite and the FNCS continue to receive praise for their harsh response to competitive cheating, the esports-wide struggle against software and hardware cheats continues. 

Many hope that other games join Fortnite in a crackdown to universally discourage cheating across the board. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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