by May 22 brought a massive announcement from Epic Games the developers behind the ever-popular game “Fortnite”. Epic games revealed via an announcement on their website that they will provide $100,000,000 for prize pools between 2018-2019 to launch Fortnite flying in to the competitive esports scene.
Fornite has stolen the number one played and watched game on Twitch TV for months on end and continues to surprise fans with new content and ways to shake up the game however it has often been questioned whether viewership alone is enough to make a video game an esports title. Rival battle royale titles such as PUBG and H1Z1 have been attempting to sell the idea of Battle royales as viable esport event with some success. The team at Fortnite will be looking to draw from the success of these other titles, the overwhelming player-base and viewership currently obtained but have said they aim to make the experience more inclusive, saying the following “We’re getting behind competitive play in a big way, but our approach will be different – we plan to be more inclusive, and focused on the joy of playing and watching the game”.
The $100,000,000 prize pool offered will be the largest prize pool to be offered of any esports title ever and is sure to see competitive teams form all around the globe preparing to take their piece of it. Australian gaming team The Chiefs where quick to tweet and react showing their excitement for the announcement.
Dropping into $100,000,000 pic.twitter.com/DsTvB7ECs6
— The Chiefs Esports Club (@ChiefsESC) May 22, 2018
No details are currently known about the structure of the tournaments or platforms in which they will take place, Epic Games mentioning more details will follow in the following weeks.
