Fortnite cheat Faze Jarvis quits LA mansion after lifetime ban to 'figure out' his life

Teenager made tearful apology to Epic Games after using aimbot software to kill opponents

A professional Fortnite player has moved out of his LA mansion and returned to his family in the UK after he was permanently banned from the video game for cheating.

Jarvis Kaye, 17, revealed in an emotional video last week that Fortnite developer Epic Games had served him a lifetime ban for using an aimbot cheat that artificially improved the accuracy of his shooting in the game.

“I know how important it is to set a good example for everybody who watches my videos and I’ve just been taking a lot of time to reflect on everything,” he said in a video posted to his YouTube channel, where he has more than 2 million subscribers.

“Taking a break isn’t going to be easy but I know it’s the right thing. I’m heading back home for a bit to be with my family and reflect on what’s most important to me in life and where I want to go next.

“I don’t have the answers today as to what’s next but I’m going to be taking this time to really reflect and figure that out.”

High-profile gamers like Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins criticised the ban, claiming it was overly harsh because Kaye did not use the cheat in a competitive match. But Epic Games stood by its decision.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for the usage of cheat software,” a spokesperson for the gaming firm told The Independent.

“When people use aimbots or other cheat technologies to gain an unfair advantage, they ruin games for people who are playing fairly.”

Kaye is a member of the FaZe Clan eSports team and was living in an £11 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills with his teammates before the ban.

When Kaye first revealed the ban to his YouTube fans, he included a tearful apology to Epic Games and asked them to reconsider.

“I’m not trying to find a quick road out but being banned forever is just – a lifetime ban – is just, I just didn’t know this would happen,” he said.

FaZe Clan also asked Epic Games to come up with a "fair compromise" that might avoid a permanent ban for the popular player.