When Fortnite first dropped in the gaming world it was only the PvE mode, otherwise known as Save the World, which players could get their hands on initially. What was to follow was a game mode that has literally taken the gaming industry by storm, propelling Epic’s creation to dizzy new heights. Fortnite Battle Royale was released for free and it fast become one of the most played games of all time, and it had also had plenty of eSports potential too.
It was probably obvious to most that the Battle Royale mode had real eSports potential and that Epic had serious ambitions in this area. You could say in many ways the game is perfect for eSports with it having a great map, a good selection of weapons, the unique building aspect and a good degree of skill required to win. In the past, we’ve seen private servers created for one off games, which pointed towards the future, but the Fortnite Pro Am held last week was in many ways a trial run.
50 professional gamers and 50 celebrities lined up to compete on Fortnite in an attempt to scoop the $3 million on offer and it was all geared towards raising money for charity. Twitch, the world’s leading streaming platform, has been huge in the development of eSports and on the day of the Fortnite Pro-Am they reported viewing figures exceeding the 1.1 million viewer mark. It was one of twitch’s most famous streamers in Ninja who won the event, alongside Marshmello, a masked-up DJ.
Epic has managed to develop one of the world’s most addictive games, with them reporting that they have around 125 million players registered after nearly a year since the game originally dropped. What Epic has also been very good at is continuing to develop the game further and their next mission is to establish it as one of the world’s biggest e-sport titles, with $100 million in prize money said to have already been pledged.
The gaming giants have also spoken about their plans to host the Fortnite World Cup next year and this announcement was given maximum exposure as it came during the Pro-Am stream while millions were tuned in. With the progress the game has made in such a short space of time, there’s no reason why it can’t go on to become one of the biggest e-sport titles around, especially with the likes of FIFA struggling to make the kind of impact on the scene as expected. It definitely has the gaming and sports world buzzing, as confirmed by a Betting.com spokesman who stated there is a noticeable growing trend of visitors to their site interested in eSports action.
It’s also unlikely that we will have seen the last of the Fortnite Pro-Ams too, especially after the viewing figures and interest in the first. Fortnite is a title that literally everyone seems to play, regardless of their status, with many celebrities and pro players including the likes of Ninja also hosting their own events. The sky really does seem to be the limit of Epic games and their creation right now, with Fortnite e-sports imminent.