Destiny 2’s Historic Victory Against Hackers Seems to Have Inspired Fortnite to Take Cheaters and Cheat Makers to Court

Earlier this year, Bungie secured a monumental victory against AimJunkies, a cheat software provider for Destiny 2. The company won $4.4 million in damages and has since set an example for other studios for how cheating can be handled in games.

Cheating in gaming has been an issue for almost as long as the gaming industry has existed. But after Bungie’s success, things could be changing. Epic Games is now taking up the fight against cheaters with stricter policies to combat cheating in Fortnite. Bungie’s victory is inspiring a bigger move against cheating in games.

Destiny 2‘s Developers Have Now Motivated The Rest of The Industry

Bungie’s victory against AimJunkies was not just a financial win but a symbolic one. After multiple court battles and appeals, two U.S. courts upheld Bungie’s claim that the cheat software infringed Destiny 2‘s copyrights by creating derivative works.

NEWS: Bungie has won a $4.3 million award against a #Destiny2 cheat seller AimJunkies in arbitration. ($3.6m in damages and $738k in fees) pic.twitter.com/SWkkRn2ZOi

— Destiny Bulletin (@DestinyBulletn) February 20, 2023

This ruling not only confirmed a $4.4 million award for damages but also set a legal precedent for holding cheat makers accountable. Despite AimJunkies’ appeal, courts upheld the ruling, emphasizing that their software constituted a “derivative work” by injecting code into Bungie’s game.

Inspired by Bungie’s victory, Epic Games has adopted a more aggressive stance against Fortnite cheaters. Epic has just announced plans to target not only players using cheats but also the developers and distributors of these tools.

FORTNITE STATEMENT ON CHEATERS IN COMP ‼️

– More legal action against cheaters & cheat sellers
– Cash Prizes now mostly at highest levels of comp
– Players who team with cheaters will get a minimum 28-day competitive ban
– Bans above 14 days: Disqualified from FNCS in all… pic.twitter.com/oHS8H123wl

— Shiina (@ShiinaBR) November 26, 2024

To ensure fair competition, Epic has also adjusted its tournament formats. Cash prizes are now reserved for higher levels of play, requiring participants to progress through multiple rounds before competing for cash rewards.

“More legal action against cheaters & cheat sellers” FORTNITE ISNT PLAYING WITH YALL😭

— 5’7 (@ShortestNgga) November 26, 2024

Competitive bans for those caught cheating, or even associating with cheaters have also been extended. Epic is also “ramping up legal action against both players who cheat and cheat sellers.”

Cheating is an Industry Wide Problem, Let’s Tackle It

Bungie’s example changes how the gaming industry tackles cheating, moving beyond just in-game bans to real legal punishment. Bungie’s victory showed the effectiveness of this strategy and Epic Games is following its steps. The devs may not be perfect but the legal team sure seems to be.

NICEEEEEEEEE IT’S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

— Merl (@Merl) November 26, 2024

Cheating in Fortnite has become a growing concern, particularly in competitive modes. While Epic has detected and banned cheaters before, a lot of them slip through because the system isn’t perfect.

Cheaters also often focus on events with lower skill thresholds where detection risks are lower. As Epic continues to invest in anti-cheat technology and refine its tournament formats, the company is creating a multi-pronged defense against unethical behavior, much like Bungie did with its court cases.

The implications of these actions extend beyond Destiny 2 and Fortnite. They set a precedent for the gaming industry to show that developers can use the law to fight back against cheaters and safeguard their communities.

Cheating tools are constantly evolving, and developers must stay ahead of the curve. Taking legal action can be lengthy and resource-intensive, it can require a lot of commitment. But it makes the game better for everyone.