Fortnite World Cup canceled due to coronavirus pandemic

Fortnite developer Epic Games announced Thursday that it’s canceling the Fortnite World Cup in 2020. Large gatherings have been prohibited around the world due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Many esports events have moved online, but the global nature of the Fortnite World Cup makes that a challenge — some players would likely have better connections than others, making the event unfair.

“For the rest of 2020, all Fortnite competitions will be held online,” Epic Games wrote in a tweet from the Fortnite Competitive Twitter account. “Due to the limitations of cross region online competition, there will not be a Fortnite World Cup in 2020.”

Epic continued: “We don’t know when a return to large, global, in-person events will be practical, but we’re hopeful to be able to put on some form of Fortnite World Cup in 2021.”

No date had been set for this year’s Fortnite World Cup, though it was expected to be held over the summer. At the inaugural Fortnite World Cup in 2019, 16-year-old Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf won $3 million in the Solos competition. A $30 million prize pool was spread across the whole event.

In the series of tweets posted Thursday, Epic Games outlined its plans for online events, like third-party tournaments and the Fortnite Champion Series. The Fortnite Champion Series will return “each season for the rest of 2020,” said Epic. The company added that it will “iterate on formats to improve player experiences.” Cash Cups will continue “on a routine basis,” with the developer also iterating on the points system and tournament structure.

Official broadcasts of Fortnite events will return beginning Saturday, May 2, with the Fortnite Champion Series Invitational.