Winter Royale Online Event Announced
Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has announced the Winter Royale Online event in a blog post. This tournament comes right after the Fall Skirmishes and brings along new changes to the tournament system and competitive Fortnite.
Updates to the Online Tournament System
With the v6.30 update, Epic Games has made critical fixes to their online tournament system. These fixes include adjusting how points totals impact matchmaking. As players advance in a tournament, matches will become more challenging, as they will be matched against opponents with similar point totals. However, players with many points may experience longer wait times to find a suitable match. Epic Games will continue to explore the best fit for competition by adjusting the matchmaking process over time.
Epic Games has also addressed issues with incorrect point totals and slow point tracking. They are working towards implementing a real-time point tracking system as the competitive Fortnite scene progresses.
The Introduction of Pop-Up Cups
One new addition is the introduction of the “Pop-Up Cups” tab in the events section. These online tournaments feature different game settings and act as equivalent to Competitive LTMs (Limited Time Modes). Epic Games plans to iterate on this idea and make in-game adjustments using this tool. The Winter Royale tournament is the highlight of these events.
The Winter Royale Tournament
The Winter Royale tournament comes with a prize pool of $1 million and will have two parts: the qualifiers and the finals. The tournament will use the same settings as the current Pop-Up Cup. Top performers from North America and Europe will be chosen and invited to the respective regional finals. At the moment, the Winter Royale is restricted to these two regions, but Epic Games plans to hold region-specific tournaments for other areas in the future.
Important Dates
Here are the dates for the Winter Royale:
- Winter Royale open qualifier: Nov. 24 to Nov. 25
- Europe Winter Royale finals: Nov. 30 to Dec. 1
- North American Winter Royale finals: Dec. 11 to Dec. 12