SALT LAKE CITY — It was only a matter of time before “Fortnite” launched a World Cup event.
- Epic Games announced Friday that it will host the “Fortnite” World Cup later this spring. The entire event will last from April 13 to June 16 with a World Cup Finals event in New York City in July.
- Those interested in competing in the World Cup can compete in 10 weekly Online Open qualifier matches that will happen between April 13 and June 16, according to the company. Epic Games will give $1 million to winners of weekly competitions between those dates. The prizes will be distributed broadly.
- The top 100 players in the Solo mode and the top 50 players in the Duos field (all of which will be decided on merit) from around the world will compete in the “Fortnite” World Cup Finals in New York City from July 26 to 28.
- For the World Cup Finals event, there will be a $30 million prize pool on the line. Each of the competitors in the World Cup Finals will win at least $50,000. The Solo champion will walk away from $3 million prize. Nongamers can attend the event or watch online through streaming services.
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Deeper dive:
- Epic won’t be "selling teams or franchises, and won't allow third-party leagues to do so either,” for the World Cup, according to CNET.
- Will competitors in the World Cup wear soccer-themed skins? “Fortnite” released a soccer uniform back around the 2018 World Cup. Popular streamers and gamers often wore the skin to show off their competitive nature. However, in recent days, “Fortnite” fans look down on the skin because it’s grown a stigma for being worn by players who don’t show sportsmanship, according to Polygon.
- It’s been a banner year for “Fortnite” already. More than 10.7 million people attended an in-game concert from DJ Marshmello back in early February, according to The Verge. This topped a previous record set in November when 8.3 million people watched the destruction of an in-game cube.
- Epic Games said “Fortnite” has reached 125 million users so far.