Fortnite created a clever way to protect users, and more companies should try it

Epic
Games

In 2018, information about your entire life is stored on the
internet — your friends, your family, your bank accounts, your
work, and your hobbies — so securing your online accounts is more
important than you think.

The best companies on the internet employ a method called
multi-factor authentication, which usually means requesting two
or more pieces of evidence, known as factors, to validate a
user’s identity. Usually, that means presenting a password you
came up with yourself, and then retrieving a second password
that’s sent to you outside of the system, usually over an email
or text message, to verify that you’re the real deal.

“Fortnite,” the most popular video game in the world right now,
came up with a clever new way to encourage user security in a new
patch to the game that landed August 23: If you protect your
account by enabling two-factor authentication, you’ll unlock a
special dance move in “Fortnite: Battle Royale.”

This benefits “Fortnite” players and the company behind the game,
Epic Games

Not only do users win, because they’re getting something they
want — emotes, or dances, are one of the ways that “Fortnite” has
achieved
over $1 billion in revenue despite being a free-to-play game
— but Epic Games also lowers the possibility of hackers,
impersonators, or people otherwise trying to illegally access the
game. And that saves the company money in the long run.

Data breaches, or even just dealing with customers with hacked
accounts, can be very costly for companies, since they need to
put more resources toward fixing holes instead of building on the
main product. Reducing the number of calls into Epic Games’
security and customer service teams means more money saved, and
more productive employees. So while players benefit by
lowering the risk of a personal or financial headache, plus
getting a nice little goodie in return, Epic Games is the real
winner here. 

Other companies could employ this same tactic

Too many companies simply hope users turn on multi- or two-factor
authentication for their own sake, but the fact is, people are
still pretty naive about internet security in the year 2018.
(Lots
of people still choose basic passwords like “12345.”)

What Epic Games has done, others could do. Epic Games took
something that customers normally pay for, and gave it to them
for free if they enabled two-factor authentication. Online
services would be keen to follow suit, offering stuff like
discounts or freebies in return for enabling tighter security.
It’s a small cost to the company up front, but it pays off in the
long run.