Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, has announced that it has acquired Helsinki-based Kamu for an undisclosed amount. Kamu is a Helsinki-based security and player management company that provides anti-cheating technology to game publishers and developers. And Kamu’s Easy Anti-Cheat service is used for protecting more than 80 games and is installed by more than 100 million PC players around the world. Prior to the acquisition, Epic Games was working with Kamu to provide anti-cheating technology in Fortnite.
“Kamu’s team and tools have been key to building a vibrant Fortnite multiplayer experience that’s fair for all players,” said Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney in a statement. “Building and launching games today is incredibly challenging, and only half the battle. Kamu’s tools for managing live games help developers grow and sustain their games successfully after launch.”
Often times, hackers are able to exploit games in order to give themselves advantages over other players. PUBG, a game that competes against Fortnite, had a number of hackers exploit vulnerabilities in order to gain such advantages. GameSpot pointed out that PUBG Corp. regularly implemented anti-cheating measures in the game but players have been vocal about locking certain regions such as China due to the concentration of hackers there.
By acquiring Kamu, Epic Games will likely provide deeper integration of the Easy Anti-Cheat platform into its current and future games. Kamu will also continue serving other customers after the acquisition regardless of the gaming engine they use.
“Joining the Epic family is not only a childhood dream come true, but a huge boost for our mission to help developers create beautiful gaming experiences. Battling cheating in games was just the start; today our products also help developers stay competitive by identifying player needs as quickly as they emerge,” added Kamu CEO Simon Allaeys via GamesIndustry.
