Fortnite is playing to win as it continues to dominate the video game industry. Epic Games, the firm that created Fortnite, has acquired Kamu, a company that specializes in player management and security, for an undisclosed sum.
Helsinki-based Kamu was founded in 2013 and makes Easy Anti-Cheat, a suite of player services that includes multi-player game management and anti-cheat software, among other offerings. Kamu is currently used by over 100 million PC players around the world, according to the company’s website.
The buyout isn’t totally unexpected, as Kamu partnered with Epic before the acquisition. In addition to improving security and fairness features for Epic games including Fortnite, Kamu will continue to offer its services to players that do not use Epic’s game engine, according to gamesindustry.biz and Variety.
Epic takes player cheating seriously enough that earlier this year, the company took a 14-year-old to court over allegations the underage player was cheating and operating at least two YouTube channels that “actively promotes, distributes, and induces others to use cheat software,” according to gamesindustry.biz.
Fortnite continues to be the number one video game on the planet, with more than 125 million registered users logging on to its massive multiplayer games. And the buzzword has taken on a life of its own, even outside of virtual worlds. Fortnite is now more often discussed on earnings calls than even Bitcoin. The online game is a trend that shows no sign of cooling off, and major investors are looking for ways to cash in on Fortnite‘s explosive popularity.
While it may be profitable, there is also a dark side to the game’s unceasing popularity. Fortnite: Battle Royale has been noted for its addictive properties (including among professional athletes, both in baseball and hockey) and has even been cited in a couple hundred recent divorce filings in the United Kingdom.