There is a scandal involving a Russian employee, a contractor from Epic, in Fortnite. He is said to have done quite a bit: It is claimed that he created codes for the valuable ‘Minty Pickaxe’ and sold them on the black market. Furthermore, he is alleged to have leaked sensitive data. He also reportedly manipulated the game. Epic has already blocked his access.
Where do the allegations come from? The allegations stem from a Russian-language YouTube video from October 27 (via YouTube): There is said to be an “extremely corrupt Russian employee of Epic Games.”
From a response from Epic Games, it can already be seen that there seems to be some truth to the allegation. Epic Games quickly clarifies that this is a “Contractor”, meaning someone who was contracted for specific tasks.
Epic Games states that they are “actively looking into the allegations”. Meanwhile, they have blocked the man’s access to Epic Games’ systems.
An English-language video on the subject has been taken down by Epic Games via copyright strike on YouTube. It is claimed that the video contained “sensitive personal information” about members of the Fortnite community (via Twitter).
A Russian is said to have created and sold codes for a collector’s item
What particularly serious thing is the employee said to have done? The most serious accusation is that the Russian employee created codes for the item ‘Minty Pickaxe’ and then offered them for sale on the black market.
The Minty Pickaxe is a digital cosmetic item that could be obtained, among other ways, by purchasing a “FUNKO-POP-Llama figure” in December 2019.
It is a collector’s item, and it can only be obtained in-game in Fortnite by redeeming a code that was supposed to be strictly limited.
Because these items are relatively old, they are valuable. Versions of the item are currently being offered on eBay for $150, and reportedly already 14 have been sold.
Furthermore, the employee is said to have committed a whole series of other offenses:
- He is said to have leaked how much money creators received for their created maps – these are apparently the “sensitive data” that Epic is talking about
- He supposedly boosted the maps of his own friends in Discovery
- He is said to have altered existing maps in the hope that they would be removed
It looks like Epic has a lot to clarify here.
Epic is known for setting an example with wrongdoers
Why is it so difficult? It is embarrassing for Epic and also legally relevant if someone exposes sensitive data to the public.
That someone creates valuable collector’s items and then sells them also interferes with the market and contradicts the sense of justice among players.
Epic is known for making an example out of people so that no one gets the idea of emulating wrongdoers who prey on Fortnite. They sued a tester who revealed secret information about upcoming content, and they took strong action against cheaters, even if they were very young:
Fortnite is really suing a brazen 14-year-old cheater – This is how it ended
