At the Fortnite Solo World Championship, a 14-year-old player was removed from the last match. Epic accuses him of peeking over his own monitor and looking at the large spectator screens in the hall – and this happened more than once.
This player is: It is about Mark “Letw1k3” Danilov, a 14-year-old Russian who plays for Gambit eSports and participated in the Fortnite World Cup.
Allegation: He peeked – and did so multiple times
What did he do? Danilov is accused of having peeked.
He is alleged to have looked over his own monitor at the spectator screens multiple times. Therefore, Danilov was removed from the match in the midst of the 6th game.
An Epic Games spokesperson stated that Danilov had peeked at a spectator monitor multiple times and had been warned:
„After multiple warnings to the player, a penalty was imposed and he was removed from the match. However, he was not disqualified and will not face any further penalties.”
Therefore, the player retains his entry prize of $50,000. He ultimately placed 59th out of 100 with 11 points.
He violated this rule: According to the rules of the Fortnite World Cup, it is prohibited to look at anything other than one’s own monitor setup.
Players were not allowed to use outside help to find out where other players are or what condition they are in. It is explicitly forbidden to look at the spectator monitors. They show the official stream, which displays scenes from the match currently underway.
A similar issue was had by Fortnite pros Nate Hill and Funkbomb – but that was about a Twitch broadcast.
Boy says: I only heard a noise
This is how the player reacted: In a Twitter clip, you can see the boy after he was removed from the Fortnite match. Danilov, frustrated, puts his hands over his face and struggles with the decision.
The player later said he only looked around because he heard a loud noise. In any case, he apparently had a bad day, as Epic had given him the wrong keyboard.
Some fans criticize Epic
This is how fans are reacting: Epic’s decision is being controversially discussed, especially on Twitter. People are particularly upset that such a minor infraction is being punished so harshly, as Danilov only looked away from his monitor for a few seconds.
Again, the player XXiF is referenced as a cautionary example. He was caught cheating, banned for two weeks, and still managed to qualify for the World Cup.
Furthermore, other players also looked at the spectator monitor, but only Danilov was punished.
It is only natural to take a quick glance at a large monitor when one is taking a moment to relax. The problem is seen more as players having it too easy to look at a monitor. Here, logistical mistakes by Epic are evident.
Note: We obtained the title image from a YouTube video by Gambit-eSports, which is the clan of the young pro.
