Fortnite LANs are finally back but pros are not happy with the prize pool (World Cup 2022?)

A Fortnite LAN event will take place at the upcoming DreamHack Winter Festival in Sweden.

After almost two full years of strictly online competition, in-person Fortnite events are returning. The game and its players have come a long way since DreamHack Anaheim, the last tournament before the Covid-19 pandemic brought any sort of large gatherings across the globe to a halt.

In December 2020, Epic released a statement explaining that there would not be any LANs for the foreseeable future due to safety concerns. Since then we have heard little more on the subject, though we have seen other Esports step back out into the real world.

Now however, popular tournament organizer DreamHack has announced that there will be a Fortnite Solos event at this year’s DreamHack Winter Festival in Jönköping, Sweden. There’s not long to wait either, doors open on November 25!

This is a BYOC tournament, meaning you pay for entry and a spot in the arena, but must provide your own PC and peripherals. Tickets start at 899 SEK ($105 USD) for full 4-Day Access and a Covid vaccine certificate is required.

Find more details and purchase tickets on the official DreamHack website.

Rather than delight at the news that in-person Fortnite LANs are finally back after all this time, some pro players are already complaining about the prize pool. A total of 25,000 SEK, or roughly $3000 USD is up for grabs, meaning it will be difficult for most to recoup their entry fees.

While this may prevent people travelling huge distances to attend, we will hopefully still see a decent turnout including some of EU’s biggest stars. Aside from a chance to prove yourself in a LAN environment, DreamHack Winter boasts plenty of other activities and a chance to see friends and connect.

What’s most exciting is that this tournament signals the return of in-person Fortnite events in general. DreamHack will likely have communicated with Epic Games and been given permission to host, indicating that the developer’s stance has changed.

Epic is set to make a brief announcement regarding competitive Fortnite in 2022 during the FNCS Grand Royale Hype Hour show scheduled for November 19. Perhaps this will feature further information about official Fortnite LANs.

Before we start getting too far ahead of ourselves and thinking about a potential World Cup, it’s worth considering that they would probably start off with something smaller. It’s not completely off the cards however, and with Chapter 3 also on the near-horizon, this next year could be massive for Fortnite fans.