Epic Games hopes physical events can return at some point in the future.
What you need to know
- There will be no in-person Fortnite tournaments in 2021.
- The first Fortnite World Cup sold out a New York stadium with 23,700 viewers in 2019.
- Epic has said it would like to have physical tournaments in some form in the future.
While PAX announced last week that it has started scheduling conventions for summer 2021, anticipating that a COVID-19 vaccine will make large-scale gatherings viable by then, Epic Games is playing it safe. The company has announced that there will be no in-person Fortnite events in 2021.
While the Fortnite team said that they hope to have some form of physical events in the future, they want to make sure to keep their players and staff healthy and safe. The company had cancelled what was meant to be its second Fortnite World Cup in 2020 due to the pandemic, instead launching a series of virtual competive events known as the Fortnite Champion Series.
The Fortnite Champion Series will continue throughout 2021, with the party size standardized to groups of three. The scoring or qualifying formats may change by season, with the next one kicking off on February 4. Epic is also considering adding new venues for competive play and is working on packing the schedule with weekly tournaments and Creator Cups.
Season 5 of Fortnite introduced Bars, a new persistent currency earned from completing bounties within the game that carry on between matches and can be used to buy weapons. The Fortnite team has said it will clear players to 0 bars at the start of competitive matches and prevent bars from carrying over. They are also examining other ways of tweaking the new mechanic to make sure it’s balanced in competitive matches.
If you’re looking for an edge before February, consider checking out our guides to the best gamepads or headsets to use while you play.
