Epic sues tester over Fortnite Chapter 2 leaks

Epic Games is suing a user experience tester over a series of Fortnite Chapter 2 leaks.

In a lawsuit filed in a North Carolina court on Friday, Epic alleges that Ronald Sykes violated a non-disclosure agreement by publishing information he collected while employed as a user experience tester.

“He did so at the expense of Epic and those in the Fortnite community who were anxiously awaiting the new season of Fortnite only to have some of Epic’s planned surprises spoiled by Sykes’ leaks,” the lawsuit claims (via Polygon).

Fortnite battle royale ended season X in mid-October with a live event which saw the game’s original map sucked into a black hole.

Fortnite Chapter 2 then launched following a period of downtime, introducing a new map and battle pass.

Epic’s lawsuit alleges Sykes leaked information about the new season, including an image of its map and the ability to swim, through several Twitter accounts.

The company is seeking injunctive relief and maximum damages. “As a direct result of Sykes’ breach of his contractual obligations under his NDA, Epic has sustained and will continue to sustain damages in an amount to be determined,” its lawsuit reads.

Monthly Fortnite revenue slumped to a near two-year low in September 2019, ahead of the launch of Fortnite Chapter 2, according to the latest digital market report from Nielsen’s SuperData.