Summary
(PLEASE READ, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE) I am reporting a serious issue that Epic has when it comes to suspensions.
Earlier this month, a code I helped work on was suspended for 2 weeks due to 1.7 Respect IP Ownership. This code only has 1 map on it, which had never been rejected, hidden, or taken down due to this reason.
This suspension was a big surprise so we instantly appealed it, expecting Epic to review the case and restore our publishing and monetization rights. Instead, they rejected our appeal and kept the suspension in place, forcing us to wait 2 weeks before we could update or earn from the map.
Fast forward to yesterday, our monetization and publishing rights were restored after the 2 week suspension and we were able to update our map again, which we did. We had to submit 2 private releases as the first one was rejected due to a separate issue (1.13.1 Keep It Authentic), which we immediately addressed and fixed, leading to the second release getting accepted.
That same day, Epic decided to suspend our code again for the same 1.7 reason. However, this time, they made it 1 month. It hadn’t even been a day since the 2-week suspension ended, and Epic had already suspended us again. 1.7 was NEVER violated during this time, making this a false suspension OR a suspension without warning, which is totally unfair on us. We have reported this suspension and our appeal will most likely be rejected again. We need an actual specialist to look into our case and help us, because this is completely outrageous.
I also want to add that the suspension emails they give out include “we have we have identified numerous violations”, which is exactly the issue here, there wasn’t a single violation of 1.7.
TL;DR: In conclusion, Epic has either started applying false bans/suspensions without properly reviewing appeals, or they have a serious communication issue and suspend you instead of failing a release or hiding/taking down the map as a warning. This is wrong, and we would like an actual specialist/supervisor to thoroughly review our case and help us.
Please select what you are reporting on:
Unreal Editor for Fortnite
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
Creator Portal
Steps to Reproduce
Timeline of events:
- Earlier this month: Code suspended for 2 weeks due to 1.7 Respect IP Ownership, despite only having one map on the code that was never rejected/hidden/taken down for this reason after the initial publishing of the map.
- Appeal submitted, got rejected, suspension remained.
- Yesterday: 2 week suspension ended, publishing/monetization restored.
- Same day: Submitted 2 private releases. First rejected under 1.13.1 (fixed immediately), second accepted.
- Hours later: Code suspended again under 1.7, this time for 1 month, even though no 1.7 violation occurred.
Expected Result
We would like an Epic employee or specialist to reach out and help us with this issue. We expect our case to be properly reviewed. Upon review, Epic will find that there were no violations of 1.7, especially since the 2 week suspension ended. We expect our publishing and monetization rights to be restored and the lost revenue paid once Epic confirms this.
Additionally, if this wasn’t a false suspension and instead was a suspension without warning, we still expect Epic to restore our publishing and monetization rights as this is VERY unfair to us. We should get a warning/chance to address and fix the issue before receiving a major punishment like this.
How suspensions are handed out should also be reworked, as we may not be the only creators who have had to go through this. Epic should review how suspensions are issued so more creators aren’t affected by this in the future either.
Observed Result
Instead of providing any warnings, Epic took major action TWICE and did not give us proper instructions to address the issue they suspended us for. These suspensions were due to the reason “1.7 Respect IP Ownership” which we were never rejected/hidden/taken down for. Additionally, our appeals are getting rejected, and do not seem to be properly reviewed.
Platform(s)
PC
Additional Notes
This is a lengthy report, but it is very important to us and our work. Reading, upvoting or helping us get Epic’s attention to this matter is much appreciated. We have already tried appealing, so this may be our last shot at getting Epic’s attention as small creators.