Skip to main content

Fornite’s World Cup tourney is skipping this year because of the coronavirus

Epic Games’ Fortnite World Cup will return in 2021, provided that large-scale physical events are viable this time next year. Months passed this year without much word from Epic on its e-sports plans for 2020, which was expected to include the second Fortnite World Cup this summer.

This year’s World Cup tournament was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which continues to affect the entire gaming industry.

Physical events are still considered unsafe, which is unlikely to change in the coming months. While the Fortnite World Cup could have shifted to an online format like many of its e-sports counterparts, Epic said the “limitations of cross-region online competition“ prevent this from happening on its Fortnite Competitive Twitter account.

This news rather unfortunate for the community since the original event in 2019 was record-breaking, offering players a chance to earn a portion of the more than $30 million in prize money, with the solo champion Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf earning $3 million and becoming one of the best battle royale players in the world.

Still, there will be many other Fortnite competitions, all held remotely. The Fortnite Champion Series will happen every season this year, including for the upcoming season 3, providing a space for the best pro players in the world to compete on a weekly basis.

For amateur players, cash cups will happen on a regular schedule. Anyone around the world who has two-factor authentication activated on their account can earn points toward monetary prizes in these online, open regional tournaments.

Epic Games is also helping third-parties host their own private tournaments whenever and wherever in Fortnite. The only stipulation being that they must be held online until further notice.

We heard the feedback?
DAMN OLD FORTNITE IS COMING BACK#ThankYouEpicGames
Also broadcasts will return on Saturday which is extremely good i love them so much!!! pic.twitter.com/R3wMGZDP37

— FlanZ (@ItsFlanzy) April 30, 2020

Many of the official events this year will have broadcasts on the Fortnite Twitch and YouTube channels, beginning with the Fortnite Champion Series Invitational on Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m. ET. Live-streamed events and a transparent plan are what the community has wanted for some time now, and fans quickly showed their gratitude by making “#ThankYouEpicGames” trend on Twitter.

With more than 3,000 tweets and counting at the time of publication, fans are showing their immense appreciation for the Fortnite developer clearly communicating its plans for this year’s events, even if the World Cup won’t be one of them.

Editors' Recommendations

Cody Perez
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Cody is that stereotypical nerdy otaku guy. He loves everything Japanese from niche visual novels like 999 and Kara no Shoujo…
How to give specialist a command in Fortnite
Character interacting with NPC in Fortnite.

As part of Fortnite's Spring Breakout Daily Quests, players are tasked with giving a hired specialist character a command. Of course, the game doesn't specify how to do this exactly, leading to some confusion amongst the community. Thankfully, we've got everything you need to know about completing this new quest with ease in Fortnite.
How to hire a specialist

Specialist Characters are specific NPCs all around the map. If you pull up the quest itself, you'll actually see a map of all the Specialist Characters. Keep in mind that not all NPCs fall into this category, so be sure to look at the map. We like the one to the very north of Breakwater Bay as it's usually out of the way. Once you find them, you'll need to pay 200 Gold Bars to hire them. If you don't have the funds, be sure to play more and complete bounties as needed.
How to give a character a command
After you've hired the Specialist Character, they'll be on your side for the duration of the match. If you look at the top left side of the screen, you'll see an icon that represents the Follower Communications wheel. Press and hold left on the D-pad on console or the middle mouse button on PC to get this menu to appear. Once it does, you can pick from a list of commands such as wait or follow. To complete the quest, you simply need to issue one command and after the NPC does what you ask, you'll earn credit for completing it.

Read more
The best weapons in Fortnite during Chapter 3, Season 4
New characters from Fortnite Chapter 4, Season 2.

Surviving in Fortnite and securing a Victory Royale takes skill and luck. Getting better at Fortnite requires a knowledge of the playing field and a drive to outlast your opponents, but none of that matters if you aren't picking up the right weapons. Building a loadout that suits your playstyle and managing your inventory as the match progresses is key to snagging a win. You don't want to be caught in a long-range battle against someone on a mountaintop without a solid rifle on hand, and you certainly don't want to find yourself inside a close-quarters building without an SMG or shotgun.

Our guide to the best weapons in Fortnite breaks down rarity types and what they mean, the most effective arms in each weapon category, and tips for how to use them. Chapter 4, Season 2 brought a lengthy list of changes to the Fortnite arsenal -- including new weapons and the return of some fan favorites.

Read more
Fortnite lawsuit: Are you eligible for a refund from Epic Games?
New characters in Fortnite Chapter 3, Season 4.

Fortnite developer Epic Games is being hit with $520 million in fines by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and there's a chance that you could get a payout.

Out of that $520 million total, $245 million is set to be refunded to customers. Refunds are meant to go to those affected by the company's billing and refund practices -- mainly players (and parents of younger players) who were charged for unwanted cosmetics and were met with account locks if they tried to dispute the charges with their credit card companies.

Read more