On 26-27 January 2019, the best of the best will converge on the Australian Open courts to see who's going to be crowned champion once and for all. And oh by the way, some world-class tennis will be played too.
The largest Australian event in competitive eSports gaming, Fortnite Summer Smash at the Australian Open, is set to take place during finals weekend at the Australian Open 2019.
Some of the best Fortnite players in Australia will compete in a solo tournaments for a whopping tournament-record of $500,000 in combined prize money and charitable donations. Furthermore, personalities from the sports, entertainment and gaming worlds taking part in a ProAm duos, such as Australia's very own Loserfruit (pictured below).
"Fortnite is a global phenomenon, and we're excited to host the Grand Slam of competitive gaming events at the Australian Open in January," Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
“We’re proud of our reputation for delivering world-class events and are always looking at new opportunities to reach more people. The Fortnite Summer Smash at the Australian Open will see some of the best gamers from around the country do battle just hours before the world’s best male tennis players compete for the AO title,” Tiley continued.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the fun of a competitive Fortnite event to fans and players in Australia. Participants and spectators are in for an exciting weekend of gaming!” said developer of Fortnite and Epic Games co-founder Mark Rein.
Fornite fans can also take on the happenings first hand. On-site qualifying events start on Saturday, 26 January, with winners progressing to the finals the next day. Tickets are available via Ticketek.
Format
The Fortnite Summer Smash solos event will consist of three phases – registration, a qualifying stage and finals stage. Points awarded for each stage are as follows:
Victory Royale: +3 Points
2nd-3rd Place: +2 Points
4th-10th Place: +1 Point
3-4 Eliminations: +1 Point
5-6 Eliminations: +2 Points
7+ Eliminations: +3 Points
The first 500 eligible players to register online will be invited to compete in one of 5 heats at Margaret Court Arena on Saturday 26th of January 2019. Each heat will consist of two matches, with the top 20 from each heat progressing to a 6 match Grand Finals event a day later.
A 3 match charity Pro-AM duos event will be held after the solos, and features some of Australia’s best players from gaming and entertainment.
Prizes
Solos:
1st place: $100,000
2nd-3rd place: $50,000
4th-6th place: $25,000
7th-10th place: $5,000
11th-15th place: $3,000
16th-20th place: $2,000
21st-100th place: $1,000
Duos:*
1st place: $50,000
2nd-3rd place: $20,000
4th place: $10,000
*Duos event prizes to be donated to charity of winners choice.