The esports betting industry has grown leaps and bounds in the past couple of years.
One of the recent developments is the increased focus traditional bookmakers are giving towards esports. The significant rise in esports betting has increased the number of esports markets available, given way for more teams and events sponsorships, and created special offers and bonuses.
One of the recent big hits in esports is Fortnite. Fortnite is a massively multiplayer online battle shooter game in which players compete in a battle royale and deck it out until someone is left on top. As the game builds more credibility and fame in the online gaming world, betting on teams in Fortnite games is becoming a lot more common.
To accommodate the growing popularity of betting on Fortnite, the game and the entire Fortnite gaming landscape have gone through significant changes in recent years. Read on below to learn more.
Fortnite Leagues And Tournaments
The growth of esports betting has led to the rise of more and more leagues and tournaments worldwide. It isn’t only happening in Fortnite, but for other popular games too, like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
As for Fortnite, the following events stands out from the rest in terms of both prestige and prize money:
- TwitchCon – Fortnite – TwitchCon occurs twice a year. It’s a convention organized by the live streaming video platform, Twitch. TwitchCon mainly focuses on the video game streaming culture. Don’t mistake TwitchCon as something that’s only all about the streamers, though. The event also features some high-class Fortnite gaming.
One of the highlights of TwitchCon is the TwitchCon purse, which contains over one million US dollars. Many of the best Fortnite players from different parts of the world compete for it.
- Fortnite Fall Skirmishes Series – This competitive six-week event series is hosted by the Fortnite game developer, Epic Games. The Fortnite Fall Skirmishes Series prize pool is now at USD$10,000,000.
Skill events and trials are available weekly, and clubs earn points based on performance. Players who are participating in the series have the chance to earn weekly prizes. With Fortnite’s popularity not showing any signs of slowing down, expect the total prize pool to increase in the next few years.
- Fortnite World Cup – The most lucrative Fortnite tournament is the Fortnite World Cup. More than two million fans from around the world watched the finals the last time it was held.
Players have to go through qualifications to ensure that only the best from each region plays in the tournament. The 2020 edition should have seen prize money of USD$30,000,000 split between the duos and singles events. Unfortunately, the pandemic struck, and Epic Games decided to cancel it even with the option to go fully digital.
Revolutionary Gameplay Changes
A constant stream of features, changes, and updates gets added and removed from Fortnite regularly. That’s because Fortnite is an ever-changing game in its essence. These changes make sure that the game stays fresh and fascinating.
However, the more significant changes made in the game were due to esports betting’s continued influence on Fortnite. These revolutionary changes make sure that more gamers will be hooked to the game and existing players play longer because of a more enjoyable experience. As for the bettors, it would mean more competition to bet on through Fortnite wager sites.
One of the revolutionary gameplay changes implemented was replacing Fortnite’s original map. From 20 named locations, the new season now features only 10. However, new ones have also been added to ensure that the Fortnite world doesn’t shrink. They’re known as landmarks.
The game’s developers have also introduced new mechanics. Now, players can hide in haystacks or trashcans. They can now swim in all bodies of water, too. Fishing for weapons and consumable items has also been enabled.
The ability to carry knocked-down teammates to a particular location is another game-changing mechanic that players can now enjoy. By doing this, players could revive their teammates so they can resume fighting.
All of these changes make the game more interesting for both the players and the bettors.
Skin Betting
A skin is a graphic download that can change a Fortnite character’s appearance. Skins are also occurring in other video games. And while they’re purely aesthetic and don’t have any impact on the game’s outcome or the character’s abilities, gamers are in love with them.
One can earn skins through gameplay, but it’s also possible to purchase them using real money. Rarer skins demand higher prices because players also trade and sell them.
Websites where a Fortnite player can gamble with his skin for the chance to get more valuable ones now exist. After winning on these sites, players could then sell the new skins for real-world money.
CS: GO, Dota 2, PUBG, Fortnite – almost all of the popular esports today feature skin betting.
More People Playing The Game
The esports industry has taken a huge step forward over the last decade. Not only more money came into the industry, but more people are now playing the games, too. Not to mention that there’s now a far bigger audience watching esports events.
Although there are many factors for Fortnite’s meteoric rise, one can’t deny that esports’ relationship with betting allowed it to reach a larger number of people it wouldn’t have without intervention.
The industry was tough to access for individuals who didn’t really have much gaming knowledge. It was pretty closed even with websites such as Twitch streaming competitions. Now things have changed.
A new door has opened for Fortnite and the whole esports industry now that betting on different battles and competitions are available. Esports fans could now come from any background. The majority of Fortnite players, if not all of them, have gaming backgrounds in the past. That’s no longer the case nowadays, too.
Final Thoughts
Fortnite and betting go hand-in-hand because of the game’s fast-paced, action-packed gameplay. It provides plenty of entertainment to players, bettors, and even casual fans. With all the changes like the ones mentioned and discussed above due to esports betting’s influence on Fortnite, it’s only a matter of time when it becomes the flagship esports title globally.
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