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In a recent competitive update blog post, Epic Games provided an outline for Fortnite esports in 2021.
The sudden emergence of a global pandemic earlier this year put large public gatherings of any description temporarily on hold. For games like Fortnite, this meant no in-person tournaments or third-party LANS.
While Epic say that they are still planning to run global in-person tournaments in the future, it looks like they will remain off the cards for 2021. “With so much still unknown about what is practical and safe, we do not plan to hold in-person events in 2021, including a Fortnite World Cup” they explained.
Of course this news will be disappointing to many Fortnite fans, but health and safety must always be a priority. Some optimistic gamers are still hopeful that a World Cup 2021 will take place online, however realistically this seems incredibly unlikely. An online event would not generate nearly as much hype, and would therefore not be a wise investment on Epic’s part.
We're all disappointed about WC 2021, but we should be happy of Epic's decision. The world is a messed up place right now, and it's getting worse.
— Ballatw (@Ballatw) December 4, 2020
Happy Epic is playing it safe, even though options exist.
Logistically, international events are impossible atm and IRRESPONSIBLE.
The developers made another significant announcement in Friday’s post, regarding the future of the Fortnite Champion Series. Throughout 2021 and potentially beyond, Fortnite’s flagship online competitive series will be sticking to Trios.
“Our hope with this change is to place more stability and consistency around FNCS”, detailed Epic Games. Although at first glance it may seem boring to lock in on one specific mode, this should be fantastic from a storyline perspective and will make Fortnite far more digestible as an esport.
If Trios isn’t for you don’t worry, there will continue to be regular “weekly tournaments, unique tournaments, and Creator Cups” to scratch your competitive itch. Whether a Winter Royale 2020 is still in the works is unclear, but Chapter 2 – Season 5 FNCS is not expected to begin until February.
