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The New Zealand Herald
The New Zealand Herald
Sport

Banned Fortnite star FaZe Jarvis makes $40,000 from apology vid

FaZe Jarvis, the Fortnite star who was banned from the game for life, earned tens of thousands of dollars from streaming his apology video to YouTube, reports claim.

After his controversial lifetime ban, Jarvis posted the emotional video to share the news with his two million subscribers and experts have revealed that the move was a lucrative one.

Marketing and talent agency The Fifth told The Sun newspaper that Jarvis would have made somewhere between $38,000 and $56,000, based on the number of views the video has received.

They added that the figure could be much higher.

YouTube creators have the option of de-monetising their videos if the subject matter is sensitive enough, something Jarvis did not do in this case.

Jarvis was handed the lifetime ban by creators Epic Games after he posted video showing his use of "aimbots" during a recreational game.

Aimbots are an illegal tool which allow gamers to auto-focus their weapons on other players, making it much easier to score points.

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Jarvis, 17, used the hack while playing a recreational game that he streamed to his followers - and the punishment reduced him to tears.

The lifetime ban means he can't play the game, attend events or create any other content related to the game.

He posted the emotional video to YouTube, breaking down as he thanked his supporters and questioned what he would do now that he can't do what he "truly loves the most in life".

"It's genuinely insane how big of an impact it has had on my life," he explained. "I wouldn't be here without this game. I'm not even sure what I'd be doing right now if Fortnite wasn't a thing."

He admits cheating was "a huge mistake, was completely wrong on my end", but says although he accepts the punishment he had no idea the consequences could be so severe.

His mother has also spoken out to defend her son.

Barbara Khattri said her son Jarvis Kaye, known online as FaZe Jarvis, had been left in "despair" by the ban.

She told Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "He's broken. He loves that game. He doesn't have a devious bone in his body and what I really know is that for any mistake that doesn't physically harm a person there should be the chance to make amends."

She had earlier taken to Facebook to share the toll that the drama was taking on her, writing: "A very wise friend of mine said 'well the thing is you can never be happier than your unhappiest child' - wow, so so true!"

"It's my turn at the moment to be feeling that abject pain, despair and helplessness today. My youngest son Jarvis made a genuine, naive error of judgment and is currently banned for life from something he loves," she wrote.

The ban hasn't gone down well on social media, with many users pointing out that another gamer only received a two-week ban despite being caught cheating in qualifiers for the Fortnite World Cup.

The hashtag #FreeJarvis has popped up on social media, but opinion is still divided on whether the permanent ban is deserved.

If he doesn't get back on Fortnite all is not lost for Jarvis, however - he's pretty flash at Call of Duty too.

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