Epic Games is taking significant steps to addressing toxicity in Fortnite’s voice chat with its new reporting feature. It lets players report offensive voice messages that violate the game’s community guidelines, contributing to the creation of a safer gaming environment.
In an official blog post, Epic Games announced the addition of voice reporting to the popular battle royale game. This new feature allows players to submit audio evidence of in-game rule violations, providing a more reliable system to address instances of misconduct.
When the voice reporting feature is activated, the game securely records the most recent five minutes of audio on a “rolling basis.” Epic Games emphasizes that these recordings will not be stored on their servers unless a formal report is filed against a player. The feature is automatically enabled when users under 18 engage in voice chats.
Upon reporting an offensive chat, the captured voice chat audio from the last five minutes is uploaded with the report and sent to Epic moderators for review. The company has said that this process maintains player anonymity. Recordings are automatically deleted after 14 days or the duration of a sanction, with the possibility of extensions for appeals. Epic Games may also retain audio clips for legal reasons – we guess if the content within the recordings is actually illegal and not simply against its guidelines.
For players aged 18 and above, the option to toggle voice reporting to “off when possible” is available, ensuring the feature won’t be active in-game sessions with friends who have also disabled it. While players can also turn off voice chat entirely, Epic Games does not encourage this option.
Reporting offensive players in Fortnite is designed to be anonymous, with users only notified when enforcement action is taken against them in response to a report. Notifications are sent to the email linked to the offending Epic account in question, detailing the violations and the enforced sanctions. Players have the opportunity to file an appeal for certain violations if they believe an error has occurred.
Epic Games joins companies such as Sony and Microsoft by implementing reporting functionality for voice chat. Other gaming platforms, such as Overwatch 2, utilize similar systems to monitor offensive behavior in text and voice channels.
Sony has also patented the Digital Audio Emotional Response Filter, intending to soften the tone of voice for toxic users by using AI to alter a player’s original voice to sound more pleasant.
While the new voice reporting feature in Fortnite adds an extra layer of security, some players may find the five-minute duration a bit short, especially in a competitive shooter environment. However, considering Fortnite’s widespread appeal, particularly among minors, any feature aimed at improving the overall gaming experience is should be welcomed by the community.
