Fornite’s growing popularity and the big money involved has also attracted hackers toward it. You might have heard news of hackers stealing access to player’s accounts and running up fake charges. Though Epic Games came up with two-factor authentication (2FA) to limit such incidents, not many players have enabled it. Now, to encourage players to adopt Fortnite 2FA, Epic is offering a free emote – the Boogie Down emote.
Fortnite 2FA – why it’s important
Apart from hacking Fortnite user’s accounts, there have been cases where hackers have created fake Fortnite apps to trick users. A couple of weeks back, a security researcher with Talos Intelligence Group, Craig Williams, tweeted that about 30% of top Android malware samples were fake Fortnite versions.
With two-factor authentication, a user is required to generate a code or emailed link for login, in addition to the usual password. Fortnite 2FA is a part of the 5.3 update, which arrived only recently. Other new features that came along with the update were the Rift-To-Go item, a replacement for Tomato Town called Tomato Temple, and the Limited Time Mode known as Score Royale.
“If you opt in to the 2FA feature, each time you sign in using your password, you’ll receive a security code that is good for one use, over a short period of time,” Epic says of 2FA.
Even though 2FA is a good thing, but like with other services, Fortnite players also are not too keen to adopt this additional security measure as using it would take more time to sign-in. It won’t be that much of an inconvenience though, as the Epic games website says: You will be prompted for the two-factor passcode the first time you sign in after enabling the feature, if you use a new device, if it’s been over 30 days since you last signed in or if you’ve cleared your browser cookies recently.
The most important part is, it will help to protect your Epic account from hackers who are after your Bucks and credit card info.
Thus, to push users to adopt Fortnite 2FA, Epic is offering for free its world famous game dance – Boogie Down emote. Fortnite’s game dances have become very popular; they were a big attraction even in the World Cup this summer.
“Your account security is our top priority! Protect your account by enabling 2FA. As a reward for protecting your account, you’ll unlock the Boogiedown Emote in Fortnite Battle Royale,” Epic says in a blog post.
Boogie Down Emote – will it do?
It’s a good move from Epic, something that can be used by other services as well for promoting security measures. However, it remains to be seen how many will enable 2FA after this offer as the real threat of hacking has certainly failed to push users to go for the extra layer of security. In November last year, a survey from Duo Security found that over half the Americans surveyed had never heard of two-factor authentication.
There is no information as to how long this free Boogie Down emote offer will be available. Nevertheless, for those who have still to enable the Fortnite 2FA, it is a good chance to not only enable the added security but earn a free emote as well.
Fortnite is available on the PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and mobile. The 2FA offer is available on all these platforms. To enable Fornite 2FA, first go to the Unreal Engine Accounts website, and select “Password & Security.” Then go to the bottom of the page and select two-factor authentication via an app or email. You can use the Authentication App such as Authy, LastPass, Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator to send the unique code for signing into the account.
Super popular game
Emotes are a type of cosmetic upgrade, which has helped the game to pocket $1 billion in revenue. The Boogie Down emote was added following the competition hosted by Epic Games, where it asked the users to submit dance moves. The winning move was promised to be added into the game.
On the iOS alone, the battle royale game has crossed 100 million downloads in less than five months, according to data from Apptopia. Further, the game has earned $160 million in in-app purchases on the iOS alone. Overall, the game has earned $1 billion in revenue since its debut in September 2017.
In comparison, Super Mario Run hit the 100 million in downloads in just 68 days, while Pokémon Go achieved the same number in 71 days. Fortnite players are spending on average 21.6 minutes per session, compared to 14.8 minutes for Pokémon Go. Fortnite’s biggest rival PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) isn’t doing that well.
