Stars and pro gamers align for tournament
At the ‘Fortnite’ Celebrity Pro-Am, the world’s biggest video game showed that it isn’t going anywhere soon
LOS ANGELES — While the Electronic Entertainment Expo is all about new game announcements and demonstrations, the biggest game in the world is doing things a little differently to help keep its incredible momentum going.
For the first-ever “Fortnite” Celebrity Pro-Am held Tuesday evening at E3, more than 3,000 spectators filled the Banc of California Stadium to watch 50 celebrities, including actors, musicians and athletes, partnered up with 50 professional players/ streamers/content creators for a glitzy video game tournament.
“This is absolutely bonkers — they don’t do this for ‘NBA 2K,’” said Terrence Ross, a former Toronto Raptor who now plays for the Orlando Magic, prior to the competition. “It’s so crazy, you hate when people watch you play games, but literally that’s what’s selling it and that’s what brings everybody out here watching, so we can play against each other,” Ross said.
“Ten to 15 years ago, you would think that’s absurd, but now it’s a reality and it’s a really big event. I’m just blessed to be a part of it.”
Up for grabs, besides bragging rights, was a $3-million prize pool for charity. It was probably the best demonstration so far of the rise of eSports and video game streaming culture, which seems on the verge of breaking through into the mainstream.
And with 125 million “Fortnite” players signed up so far in only its first year, the mainstream moment has arguably already arrived.
That number is only going to grow, as Epic Games revealed this week that “Fortnite” is now available for Nintendo’s popular Switch console.
It also announced a “Fortnite” World Cup tournament, open to players all over the world at every skill level, coming sometime in the next year. Epic will be offering US$100 million in prize pools for upcoming “Fortnite” events, as it stakes its ambition toward dominating the world of competitive gaming.
Even without the big cash incentives, the multiplayer online shooter game became a massive streaming phenomenon on YouTube and Twitch.tv, with its most famous enthusiast, Drake, kicking its popularity into overdrive this spring.
Before Tuesday’s Pro-Am, it was interesting seeing the more mainstream celebrities in awe of the “Fortnite” pros, whose popularity at E3 often dwarfed their own.
“When I was playing ‘Frogger,’ I never thought there would be a tournament one day with all these people watching,” joked actor/comedian Joel McHale, who said his strategy was to find a place to hide to avoid combat.
“It just shows you how big the thing is, you know, and it’s one of those things where it’s hard to predict what’s going to be the thing that latches on with people,” said Pete Wentz, bassist for Fall Out Boy.
When Ross was asked how he thought he would do before the tournament, he talked about the acknowledged favourite going in — 27-year-old “Fortnite” streamer Tyler Blevins, a.k.a. Ninja, the Pro-Am’s biggest star.
“Hey, it’s not the (NBA) playoffs, I’m just hoping to get like, 12 or 13 kills. Ninja’s first,” said Ross. “Honestly, my partner’s really great. I think we’re going to do fine. I think we’re going to be at least top 10.”
It didn’t end up that way, but the three matches that were played out showed just how unpredictable the game can be — and also how the game might need to grow a little before it becomes a full-fledged eSport.
Ninja was partnered with Marshmello, a mask-wearing electronic music DJ, but things did not start well for the favourite.
He lost very early in the first match, but then came in second to Kinstar, a South Korean player, in the second match, which ended in a tense two-player showdown. Ninja then finally emerged victorious over Jack “CouRage” Dunlop and NBA player Kenneth Faried during the ultimate match, winning the Golden Pickaxe trophy and the $1-million prize for charity.
“Fortnite” Battle Royale is not the first game of its kind — where 100 players all land on an island and hunt each other until one is left standing — but it has a welcoming, cartoonish style, and sets itself apart with the “Minecraft”-like ability to build things. Most importantly, Epic Games has supplied a constant stream of updates, adding new weapons, costumes, in-game events and more, which has helped it grow into a cultural phenomenon.
During the pre-tournament show, many of the celebrities were asked to perform their favourite “emote” — amusing dances and actions characters in the game perform when they’re winning — and many goofily showed off their moves. In recent months there has been an explosion of dancing memes on social media that only reinforces the game’s popularity.
As a growing eSport, there were some glitches during the event, which is in part due to the nature of Battle Royale competitions. A 100-player competition is a challenge to broadcast coherently, frequently switching between viewpoints, with the image briefly cutting out when players were eliminated.
Many eSports are still experimenting with how best to show their games, with in-game cameras either controlled by humans or artificial intelligence.
But the audience didn’t care about the incoherent broadcast, as the fans were clearly versed in what they were seeing, and while there were often roars of appreciation during many eliminations, it was the final tense moments where Ninja’s dominance was on full display that really led to a thunderous cheer.
The Pro-Am is done, but the battle over Battle Royale games is just beginning, as more traditional shooters like “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” add the competitive mode to the next chapters in their series. They clearly have a long way to go to upend the Victory Royale that “Fortnite” is now enjoying.