The 2020 Fortnite World Cup has officially been canceled, Epic Games announced today. The company is pivoting to hosting online tournaments throughout the rest of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This move applies to all physical events for the remainder of 2020. The World Cup is being canceled due to the overall limitations of cross-region play in online competitions.
Fortnite follows other major esports that have moved entirely to online competition in the wake of COVID-19. But unlike games like League of Legends and Dota 2, Epic is outright shutting down the chance of physical tournaments returning for the rest of the year.
“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,” Epic said. “In the meantime we have more info about online events with FNCS, Cash Cups, 3rd Party Events and Broadcasts.”
Epic assured players that many events, like the Fortnite Champion Series and Cash Cups, will still be happening. The team will try to optimize the experience of these formats for the current online landscape. Specifically for Cash Cups, Epic has been working on the points system and will run two-step Cash Cups that will qualify a top group of players into one final lobby.
The developer will also continue working with third-party tournament organizers to run other online events. Epic will bring tournament broadcasts back to the official Fortnite Twitch and YouTube channels starting with the FNCS Invitational on May 1.
