Epic Games threaten Clix with Fortnite ban over wagers

Clix will no longer be playing wagers on-stream and has urged others to follow suit.

Having started out in the form of Battle Royale kill races way back in Chapter 1, Fortnite wagers have, for a long time, provided competitive players with an opportunity to make some extra cash outside of the official tournament offerings.

Today, they tend to center around Creative game modes like Zone Wars and Box Fights, that help to minimise randomness. Two individuals or teams agree on a set amount, which the loser must pay to the winner upon completion of a match.

Cody “Clix” Conrod was one of the first to really popularise wagers within the pro community, streaming his insane 100-0 Box Fight win streak early last year. Now though, it seems the jig is finally up.

Won't be playing or having anything to do with wagers anymore, just got personally messaged by epic and was told to stop or will result in a ban. Recommend others to stop as well, tweeting this so people are aware.

— Clix (@ClixHimself) March 25, 2021

In a recent tweet, Clix explained that he had been contacted directly by Epic Games and told that any further wagering will result in a ban. “Won’t be playing or having anything to do with wagers anymore” said the NRG star, adding that he recommends that others do the same.

The news has reignited an old debate between fans as to the legality of this phenomenon. So, should wagers be allowed or not?

For people saying yes, the main argument is that these wagers are based on skill rather than luck. Unfortunately, whilst this may be true, it doesn’t mean that it’s not gambling. And in most cases, the players concerned are underage.

Think of sports betting. You can put your money on the favorite and they may win 99 out of 100 times, but there is still that small possibility that you lose. Whether you’re betting on yourself to beat a bot in Zone Wars or Tom Brady to pick up another Super Bowl ring, there is always risk, and that’s why age restrictions are in place.

unpopular opinion: Wagers shouldve never been a thing in the first place. With a fanbase this young Fortnite pros should not have been introducing kids to gambling in the first place https://t.co/lcHCsbedJv

— BBG Calc (@yungcalc) March 26, 2021

From Epic’s perspective, it only takes one kid maxing out their parent’s credit card playing wagers to generate a torrent of negative press or potentially even lead to legal ramifications.

They have no way of stopping wagers altogether, but they can crack down on big creators promoting them on-stream to thousands of impressionable supporters. Often, viewers will donate just for the chance to fight a famous pro.

One of the reasons that streamers are so disappointed by this attack on wagers is that despite being less than two weeks into Season 6, Fortnite content feels especially dry right now. Arena is the go-to playlist for many smaller channels, but for Clix and other top creators, relentless stream-sniping makes this almost impossible.

Hopefully the developers can do something to address these problems, the introduction of the Arena Box Fights game mode at least seems like a step in the right direction. With all the existing Discord servers and friend groups, wagers aren’t going anywhere, but don’t expect to see them advertised in pro’s Twitch or YouTube titles any time soon.