E3 2018: Fortnite's Celebrity Pro-Am Battle Royale Tournament Winner And Photos
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Fortnite is perhaps the biggest game in the world right now, attracting a massive audience across PS4, Xbox One, PC, mobile, and--as of Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation--Nintendo Switch. But as a game that receives regular, free updates on a regular basis, it doesn't lend itself to a traditional E3 showing. Rather than show off what's next for the game, Epic promoted it at E3 by hosting a celebrity Pro-Am. That took place on Tuesday and attracted large crowds in Los Angeles, but more importantly, we have a winner--which means money going to a charity.
Ninja is known to be a massively popular Fortnite streamer and a strong player. He teamed with the musician Marshmello, and together the two of them came out as the Pro-Am's winners. They won $1 million for the charity of their choice, with all other participants also receiving prize money for charity. A total of $3 million went out to charities through the event.
The event saw a variety of celebrities--including Joel McHale, Jon Heder, and Paul George--teaming up with players and streamers, such as Ninja. We headed to the event, which was held at the Banc of California Stadium--a huge, 22,000-seat soccer arena--to snap some pictures of the action, which you can check out above.
The Pro-Am came on the same day that Fortnite was released on Nintendo Switch. That version consists solely of Battle Royale, the PvP mode that has boosted the game to incredible levels of success. From what we've played, Fortnite runs well on Switch despite its handheld nature, though you of course need an internet connection in order to play, which reduces how portable it really is. As for whether Nintendo's upcoming subscription service will be required to play, Epic isn't saying just yet. But it is yet another platform that Fortnite is available on, helping to bring its total player count to over 125 million, thanks to more than 2 million download it on Switch in its first day of available.