Overview

• A federal court ruled on June 25 that Sebastian Araujo must pay $175,000 for using both software and hardware cheats in competitive Fortnite tournaments.
• Epic Games has imposed a permanent ban on Araujo’s Fortnite account and pledged to direct the awarded damages to gaming-related charities.
• Court documents show Araujo entered 839 tournaments over four months, winning at least $6,850 while masking his identity with multiple accounts and a hardware spoofer.
• The $175,000 fine far exceeds his reported earnings and is intended to set a strict precedent against cheating in esports.
• This decision follows earlier lawsuits by Epic against rule-breaking players and has been praised by community members for upholding tournament integrity.