Out of nowhere, Epic Games has announced $100 million in prize pools for upcoming Fortnite esports tournaments over the next year. This comes off the back of the recently introduced Solo Showdown, a limited mode with leaderboards and rewards, in Fortnite: Battle Royale.
In a statement, the developer said that, “Since the launch of Fortnite Battle Royale we’ve watched the passion for community competition grow and can’t wait to empower you to battle with the best.
“In the 2018 – 2019 season, 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.”
Players can expect a “major announcement” regarding competitive play later this week. With regards to upcoming tournaments, “competitive structures” and participating platforms will be revealed in the coming weeks. How players can participate in any forthcoming tournaments is yet to be revealed but it’s likely that more information on that is also coming soon.
The Battle Royale genre is no stranger to esports. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds had its famous Gamescom Invitational event and has been making sporadic appearances in esports with various tournaments. However, there’s still a major push lacking from PUBG Corp, mostly due to focusing on polish. That makes the entry of Fortnite even more significant, besides the large prize pool over the coming season.