Epic Games brings special version of Fortnite to Twitchcon 2018 for Fall Skirmish
Epic Games is set to bring a special version of Fortnite to Twitchcon 2018 for its esports event, Fall Skirmish. The company has made several changes to the game for the Twitchcon version, including disabling the enemy non-playable characters Cube Monsters and Spawns, as well as the items Port-a-Fort, Port-a-Fortress, and the Shockwave Grenade. These changes are currently only applied to the Twitchcon version and are not available in regular Fortnite: Battle Royale matches on the live servers.
Changes made to enhance competitive gameplay
According to journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau, Epic Games sent an email to Fall Skirmish competitors explaining the changes. The email states that the changes were made as a result of performance testing, and the company wants to highlight the “ability to adapt” that professional Fortnite players should have. These changes allow players to focus on fighting each other without interruptions from AI enemies and remove the panic buttons provided by the Port-a-Fort and Fortress items.
Epic Games’ marketing concerns
There is a concern that the Fortnite Fall Skirmish spectators will be watching a different version of the game than what they are used to playing. This could potentially affect Epic Games’ marketing efforts, as esports is also a form of advertising for the game.
Game adaptations for professional play not uncommon
Epic Games is not the first esports company to make adaptations to its game for the professional scene. Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, often makes balance changes before big international competitions to ensure the game is suitable for professional play. These changes can target elements that are frequently used or underutilized by professional players, and sometimes even characters that have low popularity in casual matches.
While the adaptation of Fortnite for professional players may result in a better experience for them, it remains to be seen how the casual player base will react to watching a version of the game that does not exist outside of esports tournaments.
Epic Games did not provide a comment on this story when approached by .