i3 - January/February 2020 - 41
Courtesy of Epic Games
FORTNITE
STILL HAS FIGHT
Fortnite remains king of the battle royale
genre after two-and-a-half years of multiplayer
competition. With over 250 million registered
players across every imaginable device, Fortnite remains a key strategy for Epic Games, as
well as a way to share some of the free-to-play
game's wealth with its community.
Over 40 million players participated in the
game's biggest event to date, the Fortnite World
Cup in New York. The best Fortnite players in
the world met July 26-28 to compete in the $30
million Fortnite World Cup Solo and Duos Finals,
$3 million Creative Finals and $3 million Charity
Pro-Am. This event was the culmination of 10
weeks of $1 million Online Open Qualifiers with
more than 200 countries participating.
Over 19,000 fans attended the three-day
Fortnite World Cup Finals in person at the soldout Arthur Ashe Stadium. On Sunday during the
Solo Finals, concurrent viewers peaked at over
2.3 million across YouTube and Twitch, making
the Fortnite World Cup the most-watched
competitive gaming event (excluding China)
of all time. These numbers do not include fans
watching in-game and on other streaming
and social media platforms. That's right: Epic
allowed gamers to play Fortnite while watching
the World Cup action picture-in-picture.
Epic gave away $100 million in prize money
to its massive Fortnite community in 2019, and
the game maker continues to refine its esports
program with even more competitive options
for 2020.
Activision has for Call of Duty," said Amish
Shah, founder of RekTGlobal, Inc., which
owns the London Royal Ravens Call of Duty
League franchise. "London is where the best
crowds and tournaments have been for Call of
Duty and we can't wait to have our first home
games in London in February and June 2020.
The resources being thrown behind the game
and league is mind-blowing and we are excited
to be a part of it."
Daniel Cherry, CMO of Activision Blizzard
Esports, said these leagues give the company
a platform to enhance and bring world class
entertainment to the masses through live competitive entertainment and attract new fans.
That's one reason traditional sports owners
like the Wilf family (Minnesota Vikings),
Sterling Equities (New York Mets) and
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (Los Angeles Rams,
Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and the MLS Rapids) are
jumping into the esports arena.
"It's tremendously helpful, especially as it relates to building
teams, local fan bases, hosting events, sponsorships and all the
models that drive traditional sports," Cherry said. "I come from
a traditional sports background myself, and we are customizing
and applying learnings from traditional sports to esports, but
also giving it its own unique spin, as
competitive video games and their fans
2019 was the
deserve it. There are similarities, but
first billionthere is also a uniqueness that tradidollar year
tional sports marketers and operators
can learn from as well," said Johanna
for esports, a
Faries, Commissioner of the Call of
market that will
Duty League.
continue to
Coming from the NFL, Faries witattract brands
nessed the power of giving fans a reaacross all
son to cheer for their favorite cities
industries.
through the sports and teams they love.
"Applying that formula here, coupled
with tremendously experienced ownership groups who hail
from esports, traditional sports, and entertainment more
broadly, gives us a unique opportunity to do something groundbreaking in the industry," added Faries.
This year is just the beginning for Call of Duty, as it follows
Overwatch and other esports juggernauts into a future that will
see professional gaming become more mainstream.
"It's going to continue to grow," said Cherry. "Our audience
continues to grow, as does our viewership. Both leagues will be
hosting live events all around the globe in 2020. There is no
limit to what is possible with esports, I can't wait to see how
we continue to tweak and improve our models in the seasons
to come."
2020
C TA . t e c h / i 3
CES 2020 New this year, esports - a part of the sports
technology experience - will be at C Space in ARIA.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
41
http://CES.tech/CSpace
i3 - January/February 2020
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