A major announcement has shaken the esports scene: ESL and FACEIT, two major players in the industry, have jointly unveiled a new competitive circuit built within Fortnite using the Unreal Editor. Their mission is to bring exciting game modes beyond the traditional Battle Royale into the spotlight, through a project aptly named 'ESL Featuring Fortnite'.
ESL is no stranger to the world of Fortnite esports, having already made considerable contributions to the scene. This time, it has joined forces with UEFN developer, 404 Creative, to hone in on competitive game modes such as Capture the Flag and Hardpoint. This innovative collaboration aims to rejuvenate the Fortnite esports scene that is vastly dominated by Battle Royale gameplay.
The esports tournament organizers at ESL and the creative brains at 404 Creative have their work cut out for them. They are designing team-oriented game modes set across Fortnite's plethora of custom islands. The intrigue doesn’t end there: popular esports organizations, including Karmine Corp, Team Heretics, ZETA Division, Dignitas, and an exciting 'mystery Brazilian team', are said to be featuring in these events.
Excitement is already building over the project. The first map, based on the Capture the Flag mode, is currently live. Players are being invited, through FACEIT, to sign up and participate in this competitive game mode through weekly events.
Ambition is the name of the game with ESL ft. Fortnite. The Fortnite ESL website describes it as an unprecedented team-based format for competitive Fortnite. Utilizing UEFN's creator, this 4v4 experience will introduce multiple game modes: Capture the Flag, Hardpoint, and Shrinking Zone. Competitors can choose from six unique specialist roles (one per team) to best suit their playstyle.
A notable elephant in the room is the potential for overlap with the Esports World Cup, a matter that remains unresolved. It will be interesting to see how the ESL and FACEIT circuit interacts with this major international event.
The new esports circuit hasn't been officially endorsed by Epic Games. In fact, Epic Games went with BLAST over ESL and FACEIT for its principle competitive circuits for Rocket League and Fortnite.
Esports insider Rod 'Slasher' Breslau alleged that the launch of the ESL circuit was in retaliation to Epic Games choosing BLAST for its esports tournament needs, over the Saudi-backed ESL organization. The view isn't shared by those organizing the new circuit.
Senior Director of Game Ecosystems and Growth Titles at ESL and FACEIT Group, Brian Krämer, counter-argued that the groundbreaking new initiative by ESL has been a long-time project in the pipeline.
“We’ve actually been looking at UEFN for a long time due to its potential. We chose to start with game modes that players love to compete in from different shooter titles to make it more accessible while also introducing exciting team rivalries on top,” Krämer expressed his thoughts.
The success of this fresh new esports circuit will hinge on how it is received by the large Fortnite community. Only time will tell whether it manages to rise above and carve out its own territory within the popular title.