This Streamer Thinks Fortnite Is Stalking Him
A prominent "Fortnite" streamer thinks that Epic Games is "stalking" him over criticism of the game. On a recent episode of the "Brand Risk" podcast, Stable Ronaldo, a popular and outspoken "Fortnite" streamer with a million followers on Twitter and over 2 million on Twitch, said he thinks Epic is looking for a reason to ban him.
"This company is watching me. It's not something I'm exaggerating," Ronaldo said. "Every single move I'm making I'm being watched, I know that's scary to say but I'm being so serious."
One of the hosts suggested that Epic Games is looking to make an example out of Ronaldo. This comes after Ronaldo received an in-game warning for "Toxicity," which he shared on stream and on Twitter. The warning stated Ronaldo's rule violation came from either representing himself as a cheater or endorsing the breaking of rules. Ronaldo did not state what he specifically did in the tweet nor on the podcast. However, based on his comments about Epic Games looking to "make an example" out of him, he seemed to think he's not entirely at fault.
Why would Epic be watching Ronaldo?
Ronaldo jokingly made a comparison between his theory and the conspiracy theory that birds are government drones before shouting, "Well I'm being stalked by an Epic employee." Ronaldo continued on, alleging that he knows who the employee is, but that Epic Games is uninterested in taking action against things that don't hurt its revenue, like Ronaldo getting stream sniped. Ronaldo went on to say that he will be banned one day in the future, most likely for criticizing the company.
Ronaldo also claimed that he was wrongly warned for toxicity and mentions the possibility of Epic Games suing him and vice versa. It seems unlikely that this interview will lead to any legal action from either party, though Epic Games might be willing to ban Ronaldo in the future if he continues breaking the rules. Epic Games has banned prominent streamers in the past, like FaZe Jarvis, however, most of Epic's bans or warnings have been related to a crackdown on gambling, so Ronaldo might be the first prominent example of a ban for toxic behavior.
It's important to note that Ronaldo did not present any evidence that an Epic Games employee was watching him. While Ronaldo could be telling the truth, it might be best to take it with a grain of salt for now.