Repulse Gaming Enters Into ESL Fortnite
Since the introduction of Fortnite to the world of esports, the game has consistently taken center stage due to its large audience, competitive community, and, most importantly, the sheer number of competitive tournaments it hosts. Fortnite tournaments, since their creation, have evolved from small events organized by streamers for their communities to some of the world's largest esports events, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. One of Fortnite’s first recognizable tournaments was called “Fortnite Fridays”, hosted by none other than Keemstar.
Unlike most of today’s Fortnite tournaments, Fortnite Fridays had a very different structure to how it was played. During the time these tournaments were hosted, instead of the usual Battle Royale format, they featured 2 players versus 2 players in what was called a “kill” race”. The main reason for this structure was Fortnite not having released Fortnite Creator Codes, which would allow players to host their own private Battle Royale matches.
Then, in July 2018, Fortnite scrims were born when an organization called FNPL, also known as Fortnite Pro League, developed a new way of conducting tournaments. This allowed multiple players, specifically more than four, to compete in scrims or tournaments by joining a public game all at once. The organization discovered that when multiple players readied up in a Fortnite game lobby simultaneously, there was a high chance of them ending up in the same game. From this discovery, FNPL devised a system, hosted through Discord, to allow over 500 players to all ready up at the same time to enter the same Fortnite game. From there, Fortnite tournaments rapidly gained popularity, thrusting themselves into the forefront of the esports world. With Fortnite now offering two different ways to host tournaments, it enabled multiple third-party tournament hosts to organize their own events. Among these hosts were DreamHack, UMG, AO, Red Bull, and Esports Arena.
Fortnite then released an “arena game mode” on March 27th, 2019. This release marked a significant shift in Fortnite's popular world and changed how the game has been played ever since. As Fortnite continued to grow in popularity as a relatively new video game, it saw an opportunity to solidify its presence in the world of esports by introducing a scrimmage game mode called “Arena”. Originating from the popular tournament format that allowed players to compete in the same lobby against each other to win the Victory Royale, this game mode operated similarly to other modes, allowing 100 players to ready up in a lobby together. However, it had one major difference: matchmaking points and a ranking system. This system allowed players to treat the game mode as Fortnite’s “competitive mode”, where they would start at the bottom rank and grind to climb to the top by earning points, with the chance to reach the top of the world leaderboard.
Stemming from the newly released game mode “arena” came “in-game tournaments”. Seeing the arena game mode's great success, Fortnite did something that no other game had ever done before; hosting their own tournaments in-game for players to compete in for free. This was a significant move for Fortnite, as it allowed everyday players a chance to compete in tournaments for free and particularly to win money. Unlike most tournaments being hosted at that time, in-game Fortnite tournaments allowed anyone to participate for free. Many third-party tournaments would charge a fee or require tickets to compete, as they needed funds for venue rental or the prize pool.
However, Fortnite offered its own funds to finance the prize pool for in-game tournaments, amounting to thousands of dollars for each tournament. After the success of their in-game tournaments, Fortnite launched the “Fortnite World Cup” with a staggering $100 million prize pool. This marked Fortnite's all-time player and competitive player peak, with millions participating in the in-game tournaments for a chance to qualify for the World Cup. To this day, Fortnite in-game tournaments are hosted in the same manner as when they were first released. Fortnite introduces new in-game tournaments every couple of months, including established tournament circuits like FNCS (Fortnite Championship Series), Cash Cups, and Victory Cups. However, these tournaments do not reach the same scale as the initial in-game tournaments.
Over the past five years, in-game tournaments have overshadowed almost every third-party tournament host for Fortnite, as there is little profitability due to a lack of player sign-ups. “Who wants to pay to play in a tournament with a smaller prize pool than what Fortnite in-game tournaments offer?” Additionally, there has been a steady decline in player participation in these in-game tournaments as the tournament style has become stale and boring for the average player over the years. Two major factors contributing to this decline are the decrease in prize pool size and Fortnite's exclusion of esports teams, refusing to establish partnerships or relationships with Fortnite esports organizations.
When Fortnite revealed its lack of interest in providing a stable base for esports organizations and showed no support for them, it drove a majority of esports organizations away from Fortnite. Unlike other games where support for teams and relationships with them allowed profitability, it seemed almost impossible for esports organizations to be profitable in the Fortnite world. With most of the world's largest esports organizations distancing themselves from the community, only a small handful remained, reducing the Fortnite competitive player base, as esports organizations are the lifeblood of any esports community.
All of this changed on April 11th, 2024, when ESL announced its entry into the world of Fortnite, stating that it would be hosting its own new Fortnite tournaments! When ESL announced their entry into Fortnite esports, they revealed that their tournaments would be of a new type. How would they create a new type of tournament, you ask? UEFN, also known as Unreal Engine Fortnite, was recently announced to the public, with Fortnite partnering with Unreal Engine to allow users, players, and fans to create their own Fortnite games or game modes inside Fortnite. ESL saw this as an opportunity and quickly took action. By creating their own game mode through UEFN, they were able to establish their own unique tournament format.
ESL ft. Fortnite is a fresh take on competitive Fortnite, featuring an unprecedented team-based format. Utilizing the UEFN creator, this 4v4 experience will include multiple game modes: Capture the Flag, Hardpoint, and Shrinking Zone. Players can choose from 6 unique specialist roles (limited to one per team) to suit their playstyle.” - ESL
With ESL’s new type of tournament being introduced in Fortnite, it presents a fresh opportunity for Fortnite organizations. ESL is renowned as one of the largest esports tournament hosts globally. They have a reputation for supporting esports organizations, offering team recognition, and fostering relationships through partnerships and franchising. This support enables esports organizations to operate confidently within a particular game title featured by ESL, knowing that ESL will provide backing, facilitating profitability. With ESL entering Fortnite, it signals to the esports world that Fortnite competition is evolving, potentially allowing esports organizations to thrive. This entices numerous new esports organizations to follow in the footsteps of ESL and venture into the Fortnite esports scene.
Repulse Gaming Enters Into ESL Fortnite; For Repulse Gaming, ESL's entry into Fortnite represents a significant opportunity in which we fully intend to participate. We see ESL as the future of Fortnite tournaments, attracting new large esports organizations to compete in Fortnite. With multiple partnered teams and organizations announcing their collaboration with ESL, Repulse aims to solidify its position alongside ESL moving forward. Repulse will be hosting two ESL tournament rosters: one dedicated to online tournaments hosted by ESL and another for LAN events such as ESL DreamHack. Alongside Repulse's entry into ESL, ESL has the potential to significantly influence how Fortnite tournaments are organized and their impact on the success of esports organizations.
“With Repulse now competing in ESL, we hope that it will serve as a gateway for Repulse and many other organizations to establish successful ventures within Fortnite Esports, bridging the gap between Fortnite and the esports organizations & teams that comprise the community.”
- Charlie (Repulse Gaming CEO)