Epic confirms 2022 Duos FNCS & return of Daily Cups, World Cup still in question

Fortnite Competitive is kicking things up a gear in 2022 following a series of announcements from Epic Games.

As we approach what looks to be the end of not just another Fortnite season but also Chapter 2 as a whole, fans are starting to wonder what’s next for the competitive scene. With a year of exclusively Trios FNCS behind us and no LAN events since early 2020, many feel like something is needed to spice things up.

Well, that’s exactly what we got. On Friday, Epic live streamed a new “Hype Hour” show to get everyone excited ahead of the huge $5,000,000 Grand Royale tournament this weekend. Amidst a recap of this year’s FNCS winners, our favorite casters shared a whopping three announcements about what to expect in the future.

First up, FNCS. Now solidified as the game’s premiere competitive offering, the Fortnite Champion Series will be returning in 2022. This time around it’s going to be Duos every season, which makes it way easier for lesser-known players to find a team and take part.

The FNCS format will feature just two qualifiers in order to allow room for more events in the schedule. Both the Semi Finals and Finals have been adjusted significantly with the goal of improving the viewing experience while also making things better for the contestants.

One of the top changes mentioned was that a new “Match Point” system will be coming for Finals. This will let teams who reach a certain point threshold end the tournament early and secure the championship by picking up a Victory Royale. Survival is always key in Battle Royale, and Match Point keeps that sentiment at the forefront in competition.

Finally, host Zeke talked about a stronger focus on the open nature of competition. The ability for anyone and everyone to play in the majority of tournaments has always been what set Fortnite apart from other esports titles and it seems they are doubling down on that.

Separate Cash Cups will now run simultaneously for Champion, Contender and Open ranked Arena players. This means anyone of any skill level can enjoy the competitive experience without worrying about not being good enough to keep up.

A popular request from the community has been to bring back the Daily Cups we saw during Seasons 2 and 3. It sounds like we can expect this to happen next summer, it only makes sense for them to run during school holidays for maximum engagement.

A lot of people tuned in hoping that a World Cup 2022 would be announced. Unfortunately, it was confirmed that right now, the online-only policy remains in place. However, Zeke did add that they are constantly evaluating the situation and teased that some “exciting things” are still planned.

Plus, the developers will be considering applications for third-party in-person events. So organisers like DreamHack will potentially be able to put on a variety of LAN tournaments.

What with this Hype Hour show, awesome promo videos on social media and new in-game leaderboards for Arena, it really feels like Epic is upping their commitment to competitive in general. There’s a lot to look forward to, see you there!

Full details can be found in Epic's Official Fortnite Competitive Announcements for 2022 blog post.