Fortnite Championship Series Winner Stripped Of Winnings

In the latest scandal to rock the Fortnite competitive scene, the winner of the Asian leg of the Fortnite Champion Series Invitational has just had his winnings taken away from him. As a result of cheating during the Invitational, Japanese player Sekosama is also facing a ban from the game.

According to a report from Dexerto, the cheating within the match was not limited to merely teaming. In fact, it appears as though Sekosama had convinced his teammate to prop him up significantly over the course of the game. This included farming health packs and other helpful loot during the match, which Sekosama's teammate would then leave in areas out of the way that were apparently designated before the match. This way, if Sekosama found himself in a tight spot, he could then go to one of those hidden spots and use whatever he needed that was left there for him. 

Sekosama also apparently had kills fed to him by his teammate, who would whittle down an enemy's health but leave the killing blow to Sekosama. This would allow Sekosama to claim the point for the kill and to loot any items dropped by the opponent. 

There have even been allegations that Sekosama was openly communicating with his teammate during the match. One player claims that they saw Sekosama using comms to tell his teammate where to go and what to do.

It's unclear how far in advance this collusion was planned, but it has been taken quite seriously in light of the evidence presented. What is interesting is the punishment that was decided upon for Sekosama. According to Dexerto, Sekosama has had his $15,000 in winnings taken from him and has been given a 14-day suspension from Fortnite. If you're thinking that the short term ban sounds kind of light, you wouldn't be alone in that feeling.

Unfortunately for Fortnite fans, there have been plenty of recent cases of higher profile cheating in competitive play. Also unfortunate is the fact that Ea pic's responses to these cases have been wildly inconsistent.

Earlier this month, FaZe Dubs was handed a 30 day suspension for teaming up with a fellow player during a Fortnite Solo Cash Cup. FaZe Dubs accepted the ban but maintained his innocence. According to him, the two players were simply following a very similar strategy and following the same loot paths as usual, but it appeared to others as though they were coordinating with one another. Some fans weren't convinced, however.

Another recent case involved the Duos teams of Slackes and Keys, who were ranked first place in the Fortnite Champion Series, and Kreo and Bucke, who were ranked second. After videos surfaced that seemed to show the two teams colluding with one another to secure their wins, all four players were suspended from the game for 60 days. This was seen as still somewhat of a slap on the wrist when one considered how much money was on the line during the Champion Series. 

Ninja has also maintained that players who have received lifetime bans for cheating are being treated entirely unfairly when compared to the folks who are cheating in competitive games. In particular, Ninja compared FaZe Jarvis' ban from Fortnite to the temporary suspension for Slackes, Keys, Kreo, and Bucke. FaZe Jarvis was caught using an aimbot in regular play and was removed from his favorite game permanently.

 As Ninja said a few months back, "Jarvis cheats in a, uh, online, regular game for no money and gets a full-time ban. Players get caught cheating in a tournament for money and they get banned for 60 days."

Whatever you think about the FaZe Jarvis situation or these other cases, it's clear that there's not exactly a set policy when it comes to cheating in competitive play. After all, we then have the case of Zenon, a 9 year old Fortnite player who has been banned for a whopping four years for attempting to join a ranked Arena Mode match. He'll have to wait until he's 13 to even attempt to play the game again, which seems pretty harsh.

Dexerto also mentions that it was originally reported that Sekosama's ban was a permanent one, but then it came to light that it was only for two weeks. It's unclear if this means that the ban was originally permanent and then Epic changed its mind. So far, Sekosama has vehemently denied the allegations and says that he never teamed with anyone to secure his victory. 

While it's still unclear by what metrics these suspensions are being handled across the board, at least there is a silver lining. The second place winner of the invitational, "qjac," was awarded the top spot following Sekosama's suspension.