With its game-changing “making” mechanic and playful animations, Fortnite took the unexpected change in the gaming industry by storm in 2018. Fortnite, which saw more than $30 million in prize money and played a key role in the recent push of gaming into popular culture, is a prime example of the battle royale’s popularity as an esport.
What distinguishes Fortnite from other games?
The building is an entirely new mechanic in Fortnite. Players may enhance the surrounding environment by constructing one of four structures: ceilings, stairs, or cones. These structures, when combined, add customized nuances to a map that is already worth playing – something that gamers adore. Players can construct anywhere on the grid; the built-in map offers additional protection, but it can also be demolished to obtain the materials required to construct.
Fortnite cemented the free-to-play model as “the model” for online games, thanks to its meteoric rise in popularity. Epic used a bi-weekly update schedule to develop the franchise. Each update added new guns, objects, and map changes while keeping the core gameplay and engaging storyline intact. The game remained fresh as a result of this. Three years later, the main plot is still going strong.
This bi-weekly update strategy has become the norm for FTP games that have been popular. Apex Legends and Warzone are two common games that modeled themselves after Fortnite to give more meaning to the worlds in which they interact.
Fortnite Esports
Esports Fortnite betting has grown in popularity as a fun game to play with friends. In July 2019, Epic hosted the “Fortnite World Cup” in the heart of New York City. The tournament offered $30 million in prize money to players, including a whopping $3 million to the Solo and Duo Cups winners. Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf took first place in the Solo event and became an instant sensation.
Fortnite has remained a famous esport following the World Cup. After the World Cup, Epic Games announced the Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) since hosted almost regular esports tournaments. A list of all upcoming activities can be found here.
Epic isn’t the only company organizing Fortnite events; Dreamhack recently revealed the Dreamhack Fortnite Open, which will feature monthly tournaments with a total prize pool of $250,000 per month. Points are awarded for both eliminations and survival. This format incentivizes players to compete for both eliminations and wins. Tournaments can be played in teams of one, two, three, or four people, with a maximum player count of 100, and bets can be placed on multiple esports betting sites. The most popular are solos and duos. The last player standing wins in an encounter royale. A game of Fortnite can be won without a kill, which is why players are rewarded for both eliminations and survival.
Since Fortnite is a battle royale game, it inherently needs more luck than other games, implying that bookmakers will be hesitant to deliver clear lines. The list of players who have registered for Fortnite events is not always made public. Many tournaments are open to players, but there is never a predetermined list of players for bookmakers to aggregate and have betting lines on.
