According to multiple leakers, Epic Games has asked prominent Fortnite insiders not to leak content from Fortnite’s upcoming Chapter 3 during the game’s scheduled version 19.00 downtime this weekend. Content creators HYPEX and ShiinaBR both stated on Wednesday that the company had reached out to them with this request, but neither creator declared whether they would fulfill it or not.
“I’ll most likely do what [Epic asked] if they’re willing to take this seriously instead of just stopping 2-3 leakers from leaking. I gave them some ideas on how to do it, just waiting for a response,” wrote Hypex on Twitter.
Fortnite content creator iFireMonkey echoed similar sentiments on Twitter, and further clarified their stance by stating, “If anyone is able to leak the update I see no reason for me to not post leaks.” The main obstacle in the way of these creators fulfilling Epic’s demands appears to be Epic’s perceived inability to prevent less prominent Fortnite leakers from posting datamined content.
Public reaction to Epic’s demands was mixed. Many sympathized with the content creators’ collective hesitancy to halt posting leaks, but several replies called on the leakers to fulfill Epic’s request. The latter group of people expressed excitement at the prospect of entering a new Fortnite season with minimal leaks.
Leaks are all-too-common in the Fortnite community. Many of the game’s cross-brand collaborations, such as the recent Naruto crossover, were leaked well ahead of their official reveals. With Epic reaching out to prominent leakers, it seems the company might be trying to crack down on leaks, but it remains to be seen how effective their efforts are.
Fortnite’s second chapter is slated to conclude with the upcoming “The End” event on December 4, after which the servers will go offline until December 7. It’s been speculated that Fortnite’s third chapter will begin once the servers come back online, given that the last time “The End” occurred in Fortnite, it marked the beginning of Fortnite Chapter 2. It’s not known whether the name of this incoming era of Fortnite will be “Chapter 3” or something else entirely.
