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Epic Gaming has made a huge statement in the esports industry to start-off the 2021 season. It is a clear indication that they are hoping to take the industry by storm this year. Details on the Fortnite Champions Series (FNCS) events for 2021 have been released, and the prize pool caught our eyes. The format and broadcast details were among the information passed across by Epic. Epic increased the prize pool for the 2021 season by $3 million more than what was offered in the 2020 season.
This Season
A staggering $20 million is the figure Fortnite players will be looking to get a piece of in 2021. 2021 will feature four seasons, each of which will award $3 million in prizes. The remaining $8 million will be shared among the mid and end-of-year events that Epic will host. Epic gave a breakdown of how the prize pool will be shared among regions. They also stated that data will be closely monitored and evaluated to enable them to make changes if necessary. Here is the breakdown:
- Europe – $1.35 million
- NA East – $690K
- NA West – $300K
- Brazil – $300K
- Asia – $150K
- Middle East – $120K
- Oceania – $90K
The announcement was made via Twitter, directing its followers to check out the blog page for more information. The tweet from Fortnite’s official account read, “We have got a meaty blog post for you today covering: #FNCS Chapter 2 – Season 5 format, schedule, prize pool, broadcasts; Gameplay changes; More ways to compete.” At the end of the tweet, there was a link directing followers to read on.
Earlier in the year, there were talks that the standard format will be Trios going forward. However, the information on the blog post favored cross-play, which will be used for the entire pool. Some other changes that were made to the gameplay are;
- The addition of Lever Action Shotgun
- The vaulting of the Rift Fish
- The vaulting of Shockwave grenades
- Removal of elevators
- Removal of IO guards
Earning a piece of the $20 million prize pool is not tied to major tournaments only. Players can take part in Solo Saturday events, limited-time mode tournaments, console exclusive events, etc. With this, a larger pool of people might benefit from the huge prize pool.
The change in format means that there will be open qualifiers for each season, which will actively reduce the number of competitors from 132 teams in each region to 33. As the season progresses, teams will get eliminated, culminating in a Finals where the last team standing will be rewarded with the larger portion of the prize pool. There is a lot of Fortnite action coming as the Finals have been scheduled to hold from March 12 – 14. Apart from the cash reward that will go to the top three teams from each region, they will get a direct slot to the next season’s FNCS Finals.
Last week, there was bad news regarding recent Fortnite developments as it was brought to light that players will compete for low-stakes tournaments. That led to some professionals retiring from Fortnite. However, with this prize pool, some of those that were not interested might rethink their position.