Get Ready Player One. Fortnite is now an Olympic eSport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Fortnite, the popular battle royale game, is joining the line-up for the Olympic Esports Series 2023, which will take place in Singapore next month. Fortnite is set to be featured in the sport shooting section of the competition, with twelve professional players from the Fortnite Champion Series. Players will participate in a sharpshooting contest on a specially designed Fortnite Creative Island.
In contrast to the traditional last-one-standing battles and building elements of Fortnite, the IOC has partnered with the International Shooting Sport Federation to create a unique sport shooting competition that will test the players’ target-aiming accuracy and navigation skills in the in-game environment. The custom Creative Island is designed to reflect real-life sport shooting competitions, providing a different experience for both players and spectators.
The Olympic Esports Series already includes nine games that align with real-world sports overseen by international federations, such as Just Dance, Gran Turismo racing, Zwift cycling, and web chess. The addition of Fortnite to the lineup is in line with the IOC’s broader efforts to promote esports and engage with the video game community, offering a “peaceful competition” that parallels a physical sport.
The Olympic Esports Series will take place from June 22nd to June 25th, with the Fortnite sport shooting event scheduled for June 24th. Tickets for the Olympic Esports Week are now available for purchase, and the events can also be streamed through Olympics.com and the Olympics’ social media channels. With Fortnite being one of the most popular games in the eSports Series, it has the potential to attract a wider audience who may have otherwise focused on conventional esports tournaments.