Fortnite World Cup 2020 Canceled Due To COVID-19

Epic Games has announced some major changes to its Fortnite competitive game series for 2020, including the cancellation of its marquee event. The studio announced that all of the remaining Fortnite competitive events that were scheduled to take place in person, will now be conducted online. However, the Fortnite World Cup will not go forward as a digital event--or at all.

Epic said it's cancelling the event outright "due to the limitations of cross-region online competition."

Epic went on to say that it doesn't know just when it will be able to bring back its in-person Fortnite tournaments, though the company is hoping for a return to normal operation by 2021.

The online Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) will continue for the remainder of 2020, while the Cash Cups tournaments are also going ahead. Fortnite events run by third-parties are also expected to continue going ahead in an online format, Epic said.

The first-ever Fortnite World Cup took place in New York City in July. The event had a prize pool of $30 million, and 16-year-old pro gamer Bugha (whose real name is Kyle Giersdorf) ended up winning the series and claiming a $3 million prize. He then went on Jimmy Fallon's late night TV show.