A teenager has issued a grovelling apology to fans today after admitting he has been banned from playing Fortnite because he was caught cheating.

YouTuber Jarvis Kaye - known as FaZe Jarvis - apologised to his 2 million subscribers and revealed he has been given a permanent ban by Epic Games.

The pro gamer did not cheat during a competitive match, but did upload videos showing him using aimbots - which allow competitors to shoot others without taking careful aim - in a public game using an alternative account.

In a tweet the 17-year-old, who has nearly 600,000 followers on Twitch, said: 'I'm going to take accountability for my actions and I understand completely why this has happened, I just wish I had known how severe the consequences were at the time and I would have never thought about doing it.'

The teenager added: 'I love all of you who still support me, this is not the end.'

YouTuber Jarvis Kaye - known as FaZe Jarvis - apologised to his 2 million subscribers for using aimbots in Fortnite Battle Royale

The gamer - who also has nearly 600,000 followers on Twitch - did not cheat during a competitive match, but did upload videos showing him using aimbots - which allow competitors to shoot others without taking careful aim

In a tweet the 17-year-old said: 'I'm going to take accountability for my actions and I understand completely why this has happened, I just wish I had known how severe the consequences were at the time and I would have never thought about doing it'

Jarvis, who is also a member of the eSports team FaZe Clan, uploaded a tearful video telling his nearly 2 million subscribers that he was unaware his actions would lead to a ban.

Fortnite is a battle royale-style survival shooter where players create a superhero avatar and compete against each other on a dystopian island to be the last one standing.

The game boasts hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.

He said: 'All I was thinking about whilst I was making those videos was just how entertaining and interesting these videos would be for you guys to watch.

Jarvis, who is also a member of the eSports team FaZe Clan, uploaded a tearful video telling his nearly 2 million subscribers that he was unaware his actions (pictured) would lead to a ban

'It didn't even cross my mind to think that I could be banned for life from Fortnite from those videos. I just want to be clear that this is the first time that I have ever done anything like this and of course I have never done this in a competitive game mode at all.'

What are aimbots? Using an aimbot in Fortnite is a hack that allows a player to automatically target opponents and moves the crosshair of your gun to them. It can also help players see through walls, giving gamers huge potential advantages in the increasingly lucrative gaming world. Epic Games is known to fight back aggressively against such hacks, and will ban anyone using software to cheat or alter the game. Gamers can report when a player is suspected of using an aimbot or other hack. Advertisement

He added: 'Epic Games you know I know how big of a mistake I've made and I'm truly like so sorry. Epic, I know I have to take accountability for my actions and I'm going to do my best to accept any punishment that comes my way.

'I'm not trying to find a quick road out but being banned forever is just – a lifetime ban – is just, I just didn't this would happen.'

The length of the ban has caused a split in the gaming community, with many leaping to the defence of Jarvis Kaye.

Fans have started using #FreeJarvis and it is currently trending on Twitter, pointing out that many people have done similar things, but with much smaller bans.

Jarvis's brother - known as FaZe Kay - posted a copy of the video he made and tweeted: 'I can't put into words how upset Jarvis has been this week...please take your time to watch this video and share it.'

While many other gamers also leapt to his defence and implored bosses at Fornite to give the 17-year-old another chance and rescind his lengthy ban.

Part of the issue that has riled up some gamers is that two players, called Xxif and Ronaldo, were found guilty of cheating during the qualifiers for a professional tournament, but were only banned for two weeks.

It is unclear if Epic Games will stick to their lengthy ban or not.

Fortnite is free to download, with additional content available via in-app purchases, including new skins, dance moves and accessories for in-game avatars.

Fortnite (pictured) is one of the most popular online video games available. More than 78,000 players have downloaded a hack which promised to allow them to generate in-game currency for free – instead of using in-app purchases