Fortnite is the biggest game in the world right now, with millions of players logging in across the globe every day. Celebrities from J.J. Watt to Drake are playing the game daily, bringing in even more fans to the free-to-play game that’s enthralled the world with its controlled chaos.
But the battle royale genre that Fortnite has seemingly perfected doesn’t lend itself well to the eSports scene. There are too many variables, too much randomness to the drops and the gear that’s spread throughout the island. How would the world’s biggest game create a coherent and meaningful competitive scene?
That’s a question that will have to be answered soon, as Fortnite creator Epic Games has announced a $100 million prize pool for their upcoming competitions. What’s fascinating, is that it seems like what Fortnite does in the space will be completely different than what other, traditional eSports do. Here’s their somewhat vague, but promising description:
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.
Destructoid presented this tweet to put things in perspective:
To put this in some perspective, in 2017, the top 10 games COMBINED gave out $91.2mm in prize money. @FortniteGame with the biggest HMB in esports history.
— Scott Smith (@SirScoots) May 21, 2018
Some are thinking that a points system depending on where you placed in the game’s hectic 100-player free-for-alls (or team-based modes) will hash out leaderboards and payouts. Epic Games promises there will be more information coming soon, but we’re halfway through the year, which makes the cash injection even more impressive.
Dumping this much money into a scene that doesn’t even exist yet seems risky, but the potential for creating even more of a mad rush of players young and old toward the game is possible. Like HQ Trivia, everyone can play Fortnite since it’s free, but the microtransactions and bundles can add up for players who want more flair. In other words, the cost of entry is nothing, and someone out there is headed for cash-in-hand eSports glory when they decide it’s worth it to give Fortnite a try.
This also creates a new fervor to the game. Imagine if it is points-based, and any decent player can ascend the leaderboards with dedication and quality play. Unlike Overwatch League or so many other eSports, this won’t be the best of the best invited to a highly-organized event, this could potentially be anyone in their living room making their competitive gaming dream come to life, and there are big bucks at stake.