Fortnite takes aim at players who “manipulate” their rank with bot lobbies
Epic GamesFortnite is poised to take drastic measures to minimize the number of players who rise the ranks unfairly by constantly diving into bot lobbies.
In any multiplayer shooter, the presence of AI bots is always a big talking point. Typically, players call out developers when there are too many bots in matches as it reduces the amount of actual gamers they’re able to battle it against.
While Overwatch 2 recently introduced a new change to their Quickplay mode wherein bots will be added to help new players find their feet, Fortnite has taken a completely different approach.
Fortnite to penalize players consistently play in bot lobbies
In a new X post (formerly Twitter), Fortnite provided an “update on [their] ongoing efforts to combat cheating.”
They continued by describing how they’ve started to take action against “players using party and account loopholes,” also known as bot lobbies, to “manipulate their Ranked standing and other competitive systems.”
For those who have been utilizing the increase in bots to their advantage, be warned, as “anyone found using these methods will face significant penalties.”
Since Fortnite OG dropped, players have noticed a massive increase in the amount of bots present during games.
While frustrated, many have begun using this to their advantage, deliberately creating or dropping into these lobbies to level up quickly. After all, bots don’t compete anywhere near the same as a real player.
In Fortnite, your rank is much more than a badge of honor, it can also grant you access to exclusive competitions and tournaments. Previously, Fortnite developer Epic Games has resorted to taking legal action against a player for selling hardware and software hacks to make winning easier.
It’s unclear exactly what these reprimands will be, but it’s likely the devs will issue bans to players caught constantly dropping into bot lobbies.