Fortnite returns to LAN with $1M prize pool 

After a three-year-long hiatus caused by the global pandemic, the in-person competitive Fortnite tournaments return! Epic Games announced the FNCS Invitational 2022 with a $1,000,000 prize pool, set to take place in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. 

The first LAN Fortnite tournament since the Fortnite World Cup 2019 will be held between November 12-13.

FNCS returns

The event will be open for all seven major Fortnite regions so that everyone can qualify via FNCS Duos. Top players from the ladder will then receive direct invites to the Invitational, where they will compete in a single lobby for the whopping prize pool. 

However, the developers warned that if the worldwide trend of the pandemic changes, they might have to reschedule the event or even change the location in order to maintain the safety of all involved. Epic Games also advised potential competitors to check their documents, as well as USA’s travel requirements in advance in order to avoid issues when travelling to Raleigh. 

More information about the tournament is yet to be revealed.

Who could compete?

It has been more than two years since Martin “MrSavage” Foss Andersen lifted the DreamHack Anaheim 2020 trophy just before the pandemic hit and killed any chance for an offline Fortnite competition. Now, as competitive Fortnite finally returns to the LAN environment, the list of potential contestants includes MrSavage, as well as some of the best players in the history of the battle royale.

The winner of the Fortnite World Cup Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, the four-time FNCS champion Tai “TaySon” Starči, as well as the five-time FNCS champion Matthew “Mero” Faitel are just a few out of the many Fortnite starts, who can most likely be expected to compete in the Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022.

What’s next for LAN Fortnite?

While this is undoubtedly great news for many Fortnite fans, many also expected to hear some news about the following World Cup. The whole esports scene was shattered because of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020 and to this day, many disciplines don’t host tournaments in big venues with live audiences. The FNCS Invitational seems to be the test version for a big Fortnite LAN event that could determine the future of offline Fortnite competitions. 

 

Header: Epic Games