A professional Fortnite player has received a lifetime ban from playing the video game after he was caught cheating.
Jarvis Kaye, who has nearly 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, opened up to his fans in an emotional video post yesterday, November 3, in which he explained the events leading up to his ban.
The 17-year-old YouTuber revealed he had been uploading videos that showed him using aimbots in the game to improve the accuracy of his shooting, but said he was unaware that such actions would lead to a ban.
You can watch his emotional video below:
The use of aimbots, which are one of the most popular ways of cheating on Fortnite as they give players better aim and performance, are forbidden under the game’s rules – with cheaters risking having their account locked and deleted if they are caught using it.
It has also been reported some versions of the cheat software have even been found to contain dangerous malware that puts users at risk of having their private data stolen.
Kaye, a member of the FaZe Clan, explained in the video:
All I was thinking about whilst I was making those videos was just how entertaining and interesting these videos would be for you guys to watch.
It didn’t even cross my mind to think that I could be banned for life from Fortnite from those videos. I just want to be clear that this is the first time that I have ever done anything like this and of course I have never done this in a competitive game mode at all.
Epic GamesThe 17-year-old broke down in tears as he explained he would never be able to play Fornite or create Fortnite-related content for his YouTube or Twitch channels ever again.
Kaye apologised to the game’s developers Epic Games and pleaded with them to reconsider his ban, saying he knows ‘how big of a mistake’ he has made, and is taking accountability for his actions. ‘I’m going to do my best to accept any punishment that comes my way,’ he added.
Kaye later took to Twitter to thank his followers for their continuous support, promising this wouldn’t be the end for him, while adding he would ‘never [have] thought about’ using the aimbot if he knew how ‘severe’ the consequences would be.
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.
— FaZe Jarvis (@liljarviss) November 3, 2019
Epic Games are yet to respond to the gamer’s apology, although they maintain a zero tolerance policy on cheaters after acquiring security firm Kamu in 2018 to crack down on players in breach of its rules.
Some of the YouTuber’s fans have already voiced their support for KAye, starting the hashtag #FreeJarvis in an attempt to get Epic Games to change their mind.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).