Epic Games Sues Fortnite Creators for Using 20,000 Bots to Fake Engagement and Earn Payouts

Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against two Fortnite map creators, accusing them of using tens of thousands of bots to manipulate engagement metrics and fraudulently earn money through the game’s Island Creator Program.

What Is the Case About?

On October 7, 2025, Epic Games filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina against Michigan resident Idris Nahdi and Ayob Nasser. The complaint alleges that the two creators used over 20,000 fake bot accounts to simulate real player activity on their Fortnite islands between December 2024 and February 2025.

Through Epic’s Island Creator Program, launched alongside Fortnite's Creator Economy 2.0 in 2023, creators can build custom islands and earn payouts based on genuine player engagement. However, Epic claims that Nahdi and Nasser “simulated real human engagement” using bots programmed to run Fortnite via a cloud gaming service, essentially tricking the system into counting fake visits as real ones.

According to the court filing, the two creators received tens of thousands of dollars in improper payouts, funds that Epic argues should have gone to developers who earned legitimate engagement from real players.

Allegations Against the Creators

Epic accuses the pair of breach of contract, copyright infringement, and fraud, stating that they violated multiple agreements including Fortnite’s End User License Agreement (EULA), Terms of Service, and Engagement Payout Program Terms.

The lawsuit claims that on some of their islands, over 99% of engagement came from fake accounts. Even after Epic terminated their participation in the program and ordered them to delete all copies of Fortnite, the defendants allegedly ignored the order and continued accessing the game.

Epic further asserts that after receiving their last payouts in late 2024, the defendants created new Epic Games accounts and additional islands, continuing their fraudulent activity despite previous warnings and suspensions.

How Is Epic Responding?

In its filing, Epic seeks monetary damages, recovery of wrongfully obtained funds, and a permanent injunction banning the two from creating new Epic accounts or participating in any of its creator programs.

The company is also asking the court to extend this restriction to “all others in active concert or participation” with them, essentially anyone assisting or connected to the defendants.

Epic claims the fraudulent actions have harmed its business reputation, undermined community trust, and depleted funds meant to reward genuine Fortnite creators. The company also noted that it spent significant resources investigating and addressing the bot activity.

You can read the full legal filing on Scribd here.