Video game development company Epic Games has disabled the friendly fire feature in their co-op sandbox survival video game "Fortnite Battle Royale," saying it is their attempt at reducing team killing in the game.

Although Epic Games recognized that the friendly fire feature encouraged thoughtful play and careful tactics, they also acknowledged that it is prone to abuse and can be a frustrating experience for the players. 

"We've received a lot of feedback on this subject, and it's something we've been watching closely," Read the announcement by the developers on Reddit. "Today we're making a change in an attempt to reduce team killing in Fortnite Battle Royale. Starting immediately, we're going to disable friendly fire. This change will not require a client update."

Epic games also stated that the effects of the change will be closely monitored and that other measures of reducing team killing will be considered in case those tactics are too negatively affected.

The developers also asked for the thoughts of "Fortnite Battle Royale" players on the change, and many responded to the announcement through the comments section. Some argued that completely disabling friendly fire was perhaps not the best method of reducing team killings since the feature does have its benefits when it comes to tactics, while others suggested that rocket launchers and other explosives should not cause damage to teammates, making them more a viable close-quarters weapon without having to worry about teammates nearby.

As the debate on the friendly fire feature continues, Comicbook.com suggests that several other changes may be inevitable based on the players' feedback. Nonetheless, Epic Games has completely disabled friendly fire on "Fortnite Battle Royale" for now.

"Fortnite Battle Royale" is available for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The title  features cross-progression between the PlayStation 4 and PC versions.