Fortnite: Epic Responds to Allegations That Summer Skirmish Winner Cheated

Epic Games’ second event in its Fortnite Summer Skirmish Series went off seemingly without issue as players competed for $500,000 and viewers saw several hours of high-quality Fortnite action. That was until fans saw who won the tournament and the circumstances behind that win.

IDropz_Bodies took the top spot of Friday’s Fortnite Summer Skirmish Series with a score of 184 points. Combined with the $60,000 for first place and various bonuses for eliminations, he won an estimated $130,000. When the event was over, Fortnite fans and players in the event began questioning the win and some allege iDropz_Bodies a cheater for multiple reasons, but Epic did respond to these allegations.

iDropz_Bodies Did Not Stream

Almost all competitors streamed their matches on Friday, but iDropz_Bodies was one of the few that did not. The reason is he plays on the PS4 and unlike those playing on the PC, he was not able to implement a two-minute stream delay in order to prevent “stream sniping,” which is when opponents in the same match view a player’s Twitch stream to see where they are hiding during the game. Because of this, no one watching the event could see how iDropz_Bodies was playing until after he finished the required 10 games and began replaying his matches via his Twitch channel, which has now been suspended. IDropz_Bodies tweeted Saturday his suspension was due to him using the n-word while streaming although he did send a tweet to clear up about the usage of the word and that he, himself, is Black.

Threads on the Fortnite and Fortnite Competitive subreddits have posts from users who did watch iDropz_Bodies’ replays and some question the legitimacy of the kills he acquired. Those questioning the validity of the game say players in the iDropz_Bodies matches were using new accounts, running around without shooting, and dying with valuable shield potions without every using them. Using Fortnite Tracker, a site that keeps stats of Fortnite players, one Reddit user posted the accounts in iDropz_Bodies matches were not new accounts and what everyone was seeing was just bad players.

Questionable Stats

The format of the Week 2 Fortnite Summer Skirmish Series is for 100 invited players to compete in public solo matches. Players earn points for their performance during the match: five for winning a match, one point for each elimination, and 10 points for eliminating more than 20 players in a single game. As players points are based on 10 matches, the key to winning the event was getting the 20 eliminations bonus, which iDropz_Bodies did right away. In his first three matches, he had 24, 20, and 18 eliminations combined with winning the three victory royales, which put him high on the leaderboard early in the tournament.

For the tournament matches, iDropz_Bodies’ kill/death (kd) ratio was 46kd, which is almost unheard of. Other players pointed out that on Fortnite Tracker, previous sessions of his play put his kd at around 5-8kd. In comparison, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins who is considered one of the best players and finished 14th at Friday’s event has an almost 17kd average in the past seven days.

Another point of contention for some players are two games listed in Fortnite Tracker that show iDropz_Bodies lost two matches that were not included in his 10 matches for the event. Some allege the two matches were him joining and then leaving before the match started, but others put the blame on Fortnite Tracker for not being accurate.

Possible Use of Keyboard Mouse

A final point Fortnite players question with whether iDropz_Bodies used a keyboard and mouse. There are adapters to use a keyboard and mouse on a PS4 such as the Xim 4, and using one could be a huge advantage when playing against other console players using a controller. One Reddit user suggested the use of a keyboard and mouse on a console would be even more effective with the built-in aim assist found on the console version of the game.

IDropz_Bodies did put “Xim4” in a tweet from last year that some players are using as proof of his usage of the adapter. He responded in a tweet on Friday showed his controller used for the tournament and said in another tweet that he wanted to use PS4 controller on another console hence the mention of the adapter.

Epic’s Response

Due to the concerns from players, Epic released a statement Saturday regarding iDropz_Bodies performance. In the statement, the company says it kept track of eliminations and can confirm he had 129 eliminations against different opponents. The company also states he did not leave matches during the tournament and advises stat tracking sites, such as Fortnite Tracker, are unreliable. As for the keyboard and mouse allegation, Epic says there is no evidence to suggest iDropz_Bodies used an adapter and adds there is no restriction of using certain input devices in order to “promote accessibility.”

Although Fortnite fans may continue to question the validity of his win, Epic Games verified iDropz_Bodies did win Friday’s Fortnite Summer Skirmish event. Saturday’s event will start at 1 p.m. Eastern on the ‘Fortnite’ Twitch channel.