In Fortnite, the first major eSports tournament took place yesterday. However, it turned out to be a disaster and had to be canceled. Viewers on Twitch were disappointed by lags and the boring play style of the participants. The prize pool was $250,000.
Which tournament is being discussed? On Saturday, Epic Games held the first major tournament for Fortnite: the “Summer Skirmish series” started. The event is set to run for two months. A total of $8 million was offered as prize money. On Saturday, the prize pool was $250,000.
The first team to win twice wins the tournament
Who was playing? Epic had 49 duos invited (via Epic). They included top players, streamers, or people who excelled in the in-game event “Showdown”:
- 35 duos were handpicked by Epic as “invited” – including players from well-known eSports teams like Faze or TSM.
- 14 duos were selected based on their performance in the last Fortnite event “Showdown” – meaning these were “regular players” without an eSports contract or stream.
Probably a duo from Showdown canceled last minute, which is why there were only 98 instead of 100 players.
This was the mode: The rules were simple. Ten matches were to be played. The first team to win twice would take the first place and earn $50,000 in prize money. If there was no winner with two wins after 10 matches, the team with the most kills would win – that would also earn an additional $65,000 in prize money.
Lags and “cowardly play style” ruin the tournament
Immediate issues: However, the tournament faced difficulties from the start. The games were held on North American servers and the tournament had players from all over the world. This led to lags and severe delays. Teams were eliminated without having moved once in the game.
Viewers disappointed: Tens of thousands of viewers followed the tournament on Twitch. Peak viewership was 120,000 on the main Fortnite channel. However, the viewers were disappointed and bored by what they witnessed. Not only was the lag annoying, but also the defensive play style of the participants. They were more focused on winning than on getting many kills and collecting bounties. Therefore, they tended to hide instead of seeking risks.
Cancelled after 4 matches
Event canceled: The tournament was canceled after just four matches. The lag made Fortnite unplayable in this format. Following the great success of the “Pro-Am” tournament at E3, this event is now regarded as a failure and disappointment. Observers describe what they saw as “almost unbearable” and “boring.” The players were hiding 95% of the time.
More aggro please: ESPN believes Epic should focus more on successful community tournaments, like the one by Keemstar. There, finely tuned rules promote a “aggro” play style that is much more entertaining. In Keemstar’s tournament, kills are rewarded, not simply surviving until the end.
Epic wants to try new modes: Fortnite has already responded, assuring that they are working on the issues. They plan to resolve the lag problems and test new formats. Each week there will be a different format.
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