Fortnite player Jarvis permanently banned for using cheat software

Jarvis Khattri, a popular Fortnite YouTuber, has had a lifetime ban from the game imposed on him by Epic Games after using aimbots in the game’s Battle Royale mode.

However, there’s an unusual twist to this ban. While most players tend to get bans for giving themselves unfair advantages over others in order to get ahead competitively, Jarvis was using the software on a side account that has no association with the account he uses to stream and compete.

While the use of cheating software in Fortnite breaks Epic’s Terms of Service, Jarvis wasn’t intentionally using it to give himself an edge over others. Instead, he was just trying to make video content for his subscribers.

In an emotional apology video, Jarvis admitted that he made a mistake.

He claims that he was thinking about how “entertaining and interesting [the] videos would be” for his audience to watch and didn’t even consider that he might encounter a ban.

Jarvis also sent out a statement on Twitter affirming that he’s “going to take accountability for [his] actions.” He also mentioned that this entire situation “is not the end.”

I’m going to take accountability for my actions and I understand completely why this has happened, I just wish I had known how severe the consequences were at the time and I would have never thought about doing it. I love all of you who still support me, this is not the end.

— Jarvis (@liljarviss) November 3, 2019

It’s a bit of a tricky situation. On the one hand, you could argue that showcasing the use of cheating software at any given point – especially in popular videos on a public platform – is encouraging others to emulate the same kind of behaviour and that the ban is fair. On the other, you could argue that a lifetime ban on all accounts just for someone trying to entertain their fanbase is perhaps a little extreme.

In a statement issued to Polygon, a spokesperson for Epic Games reiterated Epic’s stance:

“We have a zero tolerance policy for the usage of cheat software. When people use aimbots or other cheat technologies to gain an unfair advantage, they ruin games for people who are playing fairly.”

What do you think? Do you think Jarvis deserves the ban and that cheating software is always wrong or do you think that Epic could perhaps implement a slightly lighter ban just this once? Let us know in the comments below.