Fortnite took the gaming world by storm when it was released in 2017 it was a shooter unlike any other it was a battle Royale unlike any other and it was run by a company unlike any other Epic Games revolutionized the industry with this ingenious game that quickly became a Cultural phenomenon they made the infamous battle Royale Free which was key for its popularity and generated huge revenues due to in-game Cosmetic and skin’s Epic Games invested over $100 million into their ESports competitions but in never quite reached the heights they hoped so where did it go wrong Reason Fortnite failed to become a Top ESports Game in ESports Community
The early days of competitive Fortnite were very successful and exciting to watch many streamers become big-name celebrities with Fortnite as the game grew in popularity players such as Ninja Tfue Cloakzy and Bugha did brilliantly in many Tournaments and become huge names in the Fortnite Scene For an ESports to be Successful it needs its stars and biggest teams at the top Just like real sports fans need someone they can support someone they know
But when the huge prize pots were announced more players and Organisations got involved Epic Games announced open qualifiers and the big names couldn’t stay at the top those that were widely considered the best players in the world began to struggle to qualify for These big events this hurt the Fortnite Pro scene as fans didn’t have players in each lobby it’s hard for fans to find a new favorite
The biggest issue for the Fortnite Pro scene is the nature of the game itself Fortnite was not built from the ground up to be an ESports as it is a Battle Royale with lobbies of 100 players luck is huge factor players are often eliminated at no fault of their own there are so many factors out of the player control whether ist quality of weapons getting attacked From multiple sides or having the Strom pulls miles away from you the building element of the game does provide a very high skill ceiling but in lobbies full of the world best you need the luck to win
Epic Games have tried many scoring systems over the years in Fortnite Tournament most Formats Combine Number Eliminations as well as placement in a match to give points however there is no objective best scoring system some formats will suit some players better than others unfortunately this is always going to be an issue within the battle Royale genre some Tournament was to placement focused which lead to very slow and defensive gameplay whereas other tournaments were too elimination focused which meant that winning the match almost became secondary Epic Games have had a hard time balancing all the aspects of the battle Royale in pro play which has hindered Fortnite as an ESports for Both players and Viewers Reason Fortnite Failed To Become a Top ESports Game in ESports Community
Despite all this Fortnite eSports is still very enjoyable to watch a d has a huge fan base I just don’t think it’s up there with the top eSports it’s a game that I have enjoyed playing over the years and would love to see it have more success I think having a dedicated competitive mode with a smaller map with fewer players could see Fortnite ESports get back to its best it can reduce the luck element help the big names get back to the top and make the tournament more watchable for all viewers
