Esports has been a continuing trend throughout recent years. Long gone are the days of video games being just something people do in their spare time. Now, with the advent and rise of competitive games, the esports scene has blossomed into full swing. With it now becoming harder to ignore by the mainstream, people are becoming more receptive to competitive gaming. From fighting game tournaments like EVO to CS:GO and LoL tournaments, events are held all around the world. Now, the Olympics is getting into esports, and Fortnite is its latest addition.
Foritnite Joins List of Olympic Esports
A few years ago, the International Olympic Committee brought up the possibility of having esports as a category in the Olympics during 2024’s June games. However, there were some stipulations about what was going to be included in the game’s first foray into esports. It was mentioned in an interview with the associated press that the committee wouldn’t be including famous esports titles like CS:GO. IOC President Thomas Bach mentions that while every game has its roots in a fight against real people, the Olympics is a civilized expression of such. This means that they won’t be including PvP games in which players kill someone, be it cartoon violence, or real violence.
From here on out, the Olympics have added games like Just Dance and Gran Turismo to the lineup for their esports. However, Fortnite has managed to get in as well, albeit under one condition.
The IOC is allowing the shooting game to be added to their lineup under the rules of “Sport Shooting”. According to the BBC, this new addition will test the accuracy of players in a controlled environment. Much like the real-life equivalent, players will be competing in shooting targets. Fortnite will receive a custom island for the Olympic esports series. The event will take place in Singapore in June 2023. The event is just one summer away from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The competitors for the Olympic Esports series will be 12 players chosen from Fortnite’s Competitive series to compete. And of course, Fortnite will be doing a crossover to commemorate the event. Be sure to keep it tuned here as more details are revealed.