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esports
Here’s how we think Epic Games should spend Fortnite’s huge Prize Pool
Epic Games are pumping $100m (€87m) into Fortnite’s esports future, but they need to spend it in the right places – here’s how we’d slice it up.
In the history of all esports, only one game has given away more than $100m in prize money and that’s Dota 2. League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive both sit at just over half that amount and the rest of the field is very far behind. Basically, an injection of $100m in prize money would shoot any game into the top two esports of all time when it comes to cash and an instant esports sensation would be born.
That’s exactly what Epic Games are aiming to do with Fortnite. The massively successful Battle Royale title has taken over the world and become a mainstream cultural icon. But despite being around for a good few months now, the competitive side of Fortnite has been lacking. There have hardly been any big tournaments outside of Daniel ‘Keemstar’ Keem’s celebrity events and the format for that would barely qualify as a true tournament.
But with Epic announcing that they'll be investing $100m into esports prize pools in the next year, there’s no doubt that things will change pretty quickly. They haven’t said exactly how that money will be split, although we do know that the E3 Celebrity tournament won't count towards it.
There’s a good chance that money will be split between all different kinds and levels of events, from grassroots through to massive stadium spectaculars. We’ve done the math and have decided to break down just how we would like to see that $100m spent – we hope you’re taking notes, Epic.
Grassroots: $15m
One of Dota 2’s biggest problems is that the scene is massively top heavy. The best players in the world are multi-millionaires, but anyone outside of the top 20 teams will struggle to pull in any kind of winnings, despite still being some of the best in the world. To try and fix this issue, having more money invested in grassroots tournaments gives those teams a chance to make more cash and creates a great talent pool of new players.
This $15m across year one would be split across thousands of online events in every region around the world. Maybe Epic should even implement a tournament mode into the game to make it even more accessible. Weekly tournaments with cash prizes for winners and V-bucks for runners up seems like a no-brainer and would create the base of a healthy scene.
Local LANs: $5m
Playing online will always be a factor in any esport at the low levels, but there’s no denying that few things are as exciting as playing on LAN in front of a crowd. With this pot of money, Epic would support local LAN events run by third parties which are designed to get top teams from that region to them. The likes of Epic LAN and Insomnia in the UK, or ESL Meischercraft in Germany or DreamHack in Sweden could host these smaller events which would feature the chance for anyone to take part in one way or another. The all-important LAN experience can be difficult to find in some games, but Epic supporting local play would help solve this issue.
Fortnite's esports ambitions are getting even bigger
© Epic Games
Challenger leagues: $10m
We’ve seen time and time again that a team dropping out of the big league will lead to them struggling to keep things together in lower leagues, where there's less cash floating around. This has resulted in the death of many big organisations and it doesn’t really help the scene. That’s why having five regional challenger leagues (played online initially) which run alongside the pro league will help alleviate the issue. Five leagues with two splits each year gives a $1m prize pool for each split, which should be more than enough to keep orgs around for a while – and a hefty talent pool to rise up the ranks.
Global Pro League: $20m
The Global Pro League would be the meat of the top level season. Teams make it into this league by winning the challenger league and beating pro league teams in a relegation tournament. That’s right: no franchising here. Taking a similar format as League of Legends’ splits, we’re picturing two pro leagues each year, each with a $10m prize pool, but this isn’t region locked at all. Teams from across the globe will compete in this competition. Two playing days every week, with a league table deciding who comes out on top at the end of each split.
Majors: $20m
Between the two pro league splits and just before the crowning World Championships, we’re picturing there’ll be a Major or two, much like Dota 2 had before this season. These events will be massive two-week competitions held in stadiums which feature the pro league teams, the top two from each challenger league, and winners of open qualifiers. This is where a team of unknowns can go on a good run and instantly become a top team in the world and walk away with a share of the $10m prize pool each Major offers.
World Championship: $30m
You can’t invest $100min a year and not at least challenge The International as the highest prize pool in esports history. That’s why we’d imagine Fortnite’s World Championship would have a massive $30m up for grabs. This is the showcase of what Fortnite esports is, the one that’s in a truly massive location, such as Wembley Stadium or Camp Nou, and features all of the big names.
Getting to the World Championship won't be easy, however. All the pro league teams from the second split of the year get in, as do the top three of each major. If these overlap, then additional spots will be given to qualifiers. The winners of each of the second challenger league split also make it in, with the rest of the challenger league teams invited to the regional qualifiers. Finally, regional open qualifiers give anyone the chance to make it in.
Of course this is just what we want to see, and doesn’t account for anything like show matches, celebrity vs pro events or anything like that, which we could easily see based on what Epic have done before. Even if Epic don’t go with this breakdown, which we reckon they should if they’re taking notes, we do know one thing for certain. In just over a year’s time, we’ll be looking at Fortnite as one of the biggest esports ever, and one that should bring in a lot more than $100m into the industry. Watch this space.
