Epic Games’ Fortnite is THE game that marked 2018 so far: with an astonishing player base increase since the start of the year, more than 45 million players are currently active on its servers, with the game transcending all physical and digital borders to become a symbol of pop culture, with a multitude of celebrities – ranging from stars such as Drake to professional sport athletes -  embracing it, and of course, having a lot of fun as well.

Despite quickly becoming one of the most popular games in the world, one of the big questions surrounding this phenomenon however was regarding its esports scene: with other Battle Royale titles such as H1Z1 and PUBG receiving a special attention and investments from their respective developers in order to create a competitive environment, we were anxiously waiting whether Epic Games would follow pattern, and show some love for big tournaments and professional players.

Well, as it turns out, esports is indeed one of their big goals – and it seems they are coming out to take the whole scene by assault: in an announcement released on its official website, the company claims that have been watching “the passion for community competition grow (since the game’s release) and can’t wait to empower you to battle with the best.”

And to provide all players with that chance to compete with the best and become the best, they are going to invest hard:

“In the 2018 - 2019 season,” continues the note, “Epic Games will provide $100,000,000 to fund prize pools for Fortnite competitions. 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.

No more details have been released yet, but Epic claims that they want to offer a unique experience for viewers and players: “our approach will be different - we plan to be more inclusive, and focused on the joy of playing and watching the game,” concludes the note.

Anyways, it is simply a mind-blowing investment – which due to its raw magnitude already become a historical landmark for esports and competitive gaming: according to esports logistics expert Scott Smith, “to put this in some perspective, in 2017, the top 10 games (which obviously include titles such as League of Legends, DOTA 2 and CS:GO) COMBINED gave out $91.2 million in prize money.”

Despite with its esports scene in its infancy, several well-known esports organizations recognized the game’s potential and already recruited players and formed teams during the last months, such as TSM, who already have a solid line-up with Myth, CaMiLLs, Daequan and Hamlinz – with the last two even claiming second place at last week’s UMG’s Friday Fortnite, currently one of the few Fortnite’s competitive tournaments currently organized. But the numbers are there, and over 300 thousand people tuned it across several channels to watch Ninja and co wreaking havoc.

Therefore, this announcement will surely carve the way for an influx of more big and well-known organizations, lured not only by the absurd amount of money involved, but also by Epic Games’ clear commitment to transform Fortnite in a top – if not the biggest - competitive title. With a huge player base – which gets bigger everyday – and backing from several superstars, the future looks more than bright for Fortnite – and for esports as well.


(Photo courtesy of Epic Games)