With the restrictions around travel and in-person events, Epic canceled the 2020 edition of the Fortnite World Cup back in April. Now, the developer says the esports spectacle won’t be taking place in 2021 either. “With so much still unknown about what is practical and safe, we do not plan to hold in-person events in 2021, including a Fortnite World Cup,” the company explained in a blog post. “We will continue to provide online competitions throughout 2021 with the hopes that physical events, in some form, can return at some point in the future.”
The first — and so far, only — Fortnite World Cup took place in 2019 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The three-day spectacle culminated with 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf winning the solo competition and $3 million in prize money. It was arguably one of the biggest esports competitions to date, and it capped off a massive $100 million investment in the competitive scene from Epic.
While in-person events won’t take place next year, that doesn’t mean the end of the competitive scene for Fortnite. Epic says that Fortnite Champion Series will continue in 2021, with a focus on trios competitions. The company also says that it’s looking to experiment with new formats as well. “We’re looking at other avenues for high-level competition 2021,” Epic says. “Beyond our biggest competitions, in 2021, we’re putting together a schedule featuring more weekly tournaments, unique tournaments, and Creator Cups throughout the year.”
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