Fortnite is now banning players from using search party feature

Fortnite recently introduced a new feature called 'Looking for Party'. With it, players can set up their profiles according to how they play. They might prefer playing more relaxed games or could be looking for specific game modes like Deathrun, Free-for-all, or others.

These were called social tags and were a way to help the Fortnite algorithm more appropriately give players teammates and gameplay experiences. Those with similar tags can invite players without knowing them or knowing their gamertag beforehand.

This new feature was pretty revolutionary for online gaming and now, Epic Games can ban players from using it at their discretion. However, this isn't much of a surprise, given how Epic operates.

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Fortnite introduces new feature, can ban players from using it

According to iFireMonkey, Epic Games has the ability to ban players from looking for a party with the new feature. This comes just two months after the feature was implemented. It is a bit of a surprise that it took that long to implement potential bans.

It is a quick change from Epic Games, though it should not come as a surprise. They usually act quickly, especially if they feel there is some sort of wrongdoing. In this case, they feel like they need to have the ability to prevent certain players from abusing this feature.

According to iFireMonkey, the ban can be met with a couple of messages, such as:

"LfgStateLfgOffSocialBan: Due to your recent behavior you have been banned from using Looking For Party."

It's unclear exactly what prompted Epic to make this change for Fortnite going forward, but player safety is very important to them. It is possible that players were using the social tags to find others they should not for potentially nefarious reasons, and that needs to be stopped.

These tags are a way to find gamers that would otherwise not be found, and that is a recipe for potential disaster.

Every feature in Fortnite can be exploited in some way, though Epic Games usually acts swiftly to protect the game's integrity.

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How else can Fortnite ban players?

There are a lot of different ways to get banned in Fortnite, and it is possible that abusing the Looking for Party feature could be one of them.

The easiest way to do so is by having an offensive username, according to Epic Games, who states:

"Your display name must not contain any of the following: Vulgarity, hate speech, offensive or derogatory language of any kind, direct references to any Epic Games employee, product, service or character."

Cheating is another surefire way to be met with an extreme penalty. Epic Games does not tolerate this, and many gamers have been hit with lengthy bans as a result. This could be using illegal keybinds, hacking other players, or anything of that nature.

Bans can last a while (Image via Retali8 on YouTube)

Bans are not always permanent and it is unlikely that a ban from the Looking for Party feature would be as well. Bans usually carry a specific time sentence and can also be appealed. It is very rare to get banned permanently.