Epic Games is taking legal action against one of Fortnite's most well-known leakers, and the twist is significant: the leaker was on Epic's payroll the entire time.
The Lawsuit Against AdiraFN
Hayden Cohen, who operated online under the names AdiraFN and AdiraFNInfo, was contracted by Epic Games to work as an Associate Producer on various projects. According to a legal complaint filed by Epic on Thursday in the Eastern District of North Carolina, Cohen signed a non-disclosure agreement on September 11, 2025, and then proceeded to publicly share confidential information in January and February of the following year.
Epic's court filing states directly: "Cohen's leaks were only possible because he abused the access he was granted to this information as part of his work for Epic and willfully disregarded his obligations to keep the information confidential."
The AdiraFNInfo account on X had accumulated more than 13,000 followers before it was deactivated following the legal action. A screenshot of Cohen's LinkedIn profile, captured by a Reddit user before it was also taken down, revealed a resume that included stints at American Express, AMC, Peacock, and NBC Sports.
What Cohen Allegedly Leaked
According to Epic's complaint, the leaked information included details about then-unannounced collaborations with South Park and Solo Leveling, content that had not yet been made public through any official channels.
Here's the thing: this is where the case differs sharply from how most Fortnite leaks work. Popular community leakers like Shiina and HypeX obtain unreleased content through data mining public game builds, which is a legal method. Epic's filing explicitly draws that line:
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Epic states that the information Cohen leaked "could not have been obtained through any legitimate means and was not otherwise available to the public (such as through data mining public builds of Fortnite for unreleased content)." The company argues the data was accessible to Cohen solely because of his internal role.
That distinction matters legally. Data miners work with publicly accessible files. Cohen, according to Epic, had direct access to internal systems and channels that no outside party could reach.
Timeline and Legal Demands
The sequence of events laid out in Epic's complaint breaks down as follows:
- September 11, 2025: Cohen signs NDA with Epic Games
- January to February 2026: Cohen begins publicly sharing confidential Fortnite information
- February 20, 2026: Epic sends Cohen a cease and desist letter
- March 6, 2026: Epic files a formal legal complaint in North Carolina
As of the filing date, Epic states that Cohen has "failed to fully comply" with the company's demands.
What This Means for the Leaker Community
The key here is that this case sets a clear boundary between community-driven data mining and insider leaking. Epic has historically tolerated, and in some cases quietly benefited from, the hype generated by data miners who surface upcoming skins and events. That tolerance has limits, and those limits appear to stop at employees and contractors who breach signed agreements.
For the broader Fortnite leaker community, the message is pointed. You'll want to note that Epic is not pursuing action against data miners in this case, reinforcing that the legal risk is tied specifically to contractual obligations and insider access, not the act of leaking itself.
What most players miss is how much advance knowledge of collaborations can shift community excitement and, potentially, purchasing behavior ahead of official announcements. That commercial dimension likely factors into why Epic is treating this as a trade secrets matter rather than a simple NDA dispute.
Source: Kotaku
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is AdiraFN and why is Epic suing them?
AdiraFN, real name Hayden Cohen, is a Fortnite leaker who was also contracted by Epic Games as an Associate Producer. Epic is suing Cohen for allegedly violating a signed NDA by leaking confidential trade secrets, including details about unannounced collaborations.
Why aren't other Fortnite leakers like Shiina or HypeX being sued?
Epic's complaint specifically notes that leakers like Shiina and HypeX obtain their information through data mining public game builds, which is a legal practice. Cohen's situation is different because his access came through his internal role at Epic, not public files.
What did AdiraFN actually leak?
According to Epic's court filing, Cohen leaked information about then-unannounced Fortnite collaborations with South Park and Solo Leveling, content that was only accessible through Epic's internal systems.
