Russian players banned from Fortnite tournaments with cash prizes- Epic Games

Russian Fortnite players will no longer be able to partake in Fortnite competitive events with cash prizes, according to Epic Games. The decision will take effect on March 11th.

The declaration came two weeks after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. In the aftermath of the invasion, lots of new corporations, developers, and tournament organizers have stopped doing business with Russia.

 

Microsoft, Nintendo, Bungie, Sony, Apple, Activision Blizzard, YouTube, Twitch, EA, Intel, and many other big companies have suspended sales or services in Russia in the last week. Epic suspended sales and transactions for its items in Russia a few days ago.

“Effective March 11, Russia will be added to the list of countries where players are ineligible to win cash prizes in Fortnite tournaments. Players residing in Russia will still be able to earn in-game cosmetic prizes.” The company said

According to the announcement, players will be able to claim their cash rewards before March 22, 2022. After the deadline, all monetary prizes will be frozen until Epic Games’ payment service provider in Russia is able to resume operations.

Considering the current situation between Russia and Ukraine, the cash ban doesn’t come as a surprise after watching huge companies imposing sanctions and suspending their sale in the country one by one.

The move by Epic game can be seen as an action under political pressure but the truth, on the other hand, has more to do with banking and money transfer services. Money transfers are no longer available as financial institutions cut relations with Russia.

The war is still on, the sanction and suspension will not be lifted anytime soon, at least not until the war is over.

The fate of Esports in Russia is uncertain until the war stops

Russian players will be permitted to compete in regional competitions. Those that win, on the other hand, will only receive cosmetics associated with the tournament. Because there are no cash awards on the line, most professional players are unlikely to enter these tournaments.

This has sparked a few online protests, with some saying that gamers are unrelated to the crisis. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done for the time being. Russian players will be unable to earn any monetary rewards in-game until the situation improves.

Epic Games Announcement on the ongoing invasion

Epic is stopping commerce with Russia in our games in response to its invasion of Ukraine,” the company said. They do not, however, prohibit access, claiming that their program is merely a “communication tool.” “The free world should keep all lines of dialogue open.”

Currently, there’s no information about Fortnite being banned in Russia. However, the sale of games via the Epic Games Store has been stopped. But those who have bought games via the platform will still be allowed to play them.