'Fortnite' Developer Allots $100 Million For eSports Prizes

Epic Games, the developer of the popular video game “Fortnite,” wants to show they are serious about making a mark in the eSports industry. And if, for whatever reason, some people are doubting that, a recently allotted $100 million fund for competitive play events might convince them.

In a recent blog post, Epic Games announced it is going to provide a staggering amount of $100 million to fund the prize pools of upcoming “Fortnite” eSports tournament within 2018-2019, which also marks the franchise’s first year in the competitive gaming arena.

“Fortnite” has evidently become one of the widely played video games this year, especially its standalone, free-to-play “Battle Royale” title. Though “Fortnite” already had its massive success, a report from TechCrunch also noted that diving into the eSports arena is likely to further expand its fanbase.

The same report also suggested that the continuous growth of “Fortnite” can be greatly influenced by support among streamers and eSports tournaments, which makes the $100 million funding a smart move on the part of Epic Games.

One factor to the success of “Fortnite Battle Royale” is its availability on more gaming platforms unlike the equally successful game “PlayerUnknown’s Battleground.” While the latter technically arrived first on PC, its console version is still limited to an early access release on Xbox One and on mobile. On the other hand, “Fortnite Battle Royale” has already been launched on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, and an upcoming port for Android users as well.

While Epic Games is visibly making huge efforts in bringing “Fortnite” onto the eSports arena, the developer is yet to announce specific plans for its major tournaments and other events.

For now, Epic Games has only revealed its initial approach on the matter saying it "will be different." Epic Games added: "We plan to be more inclusive, and focused on the joy of playing and watching the game.”