Fortnite developer Epic Games has settled a lawsuit with a former contract worker who was accused of leaking unreleased details concerning Fortnite‘s planned collaborations. The settlement details between the Fortnite development team and the accused ex-contractor were not publicly disclosed as of this writing.
The settlement came months after Epic Games filed a lawsuit against a leaker known as AdiraFN. AdiraFN, who was subsequently revealed to be former Epic Games contractor Hayden Cohen, garnered a reputation for spoiling Fortnite collaborations on social media months before Epic Games had intended. Some of the Fortnite collaborations that Cohen leaked included Overwatch, Masters of the Universe, and Game of Thrones. Cohen’s time as a social media leaker was cut short after the Adira Twitter account was taken down in early March.
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Fortnite Settles With Leaker AdiraFN Out of Court
After Epic sued Cohen for revealing confidential details about Fortnite, the two parties have now reached a settlement over the former’s claims. As part of the settlement between the two parties, a trial will not be held to decide the case. Additionally, Cohen vowed to not leak any more Fortnite materials that they have. Via a statement posted by Game File, Epic Games spokesperson Natalie Munoz said that the company asked the district court in North Carolina to approve of the stipulated injunction against Cohen to ensure that the defendant cannot share or publish any of Epic Games’ confidential information ever again. Munoz did not comment further on any details concerning the settlement between Cohen and Epic. In Epic Games’ lawsuit against Cohen, which was filed in March 2026 with the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, it was claimed that the leaks were damaging to the marketing strategy of Epic Games and its corporate partners.
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Since leaks can ruin the surprise for some Fortnite players, Epic Games stated that the company could lose money if any materials were leaked before their intended release. Ergo, the company sought punitive damages against Cohen and a permanent injunction that would mandate the former contractor to return or destroy any confidential information from Epic Games that they still possessed. Although leaks about Fortnite‘s imminent collaborations are still prominent on social media, the fact that Cohen was taken to court over what they leaked via AdiraFN is a testament to how litigious Epic Games can be.
However, this is not the first time that Fortnite has been in a courtroom in 2026. Fortnite returned to Apple’s storefronts across the world in May 2026, with Epic Games stating that the long-running legal battle between the two companies was entering its final phases. Epic’s response came after the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that stated the fee structure Apple uses for third-party store transactions was in contempt. Though US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan initially refused to hear the case, the Supreme Court eventually agreed to hear Apple’s case against the Ninth Circuit’s ruling. As of this writing, a final decision isn’t expected until June 2027.
As for Epic Games, Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3 is now in full swing across all platforms. It remains to be seen which collaborations are still on the table for the rest of 2026.
- Released
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September 26, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Sources: TweakTown, Law360
