Competitive Fortnite returns to LAN with the Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022; the first official Epic Games LAN since 2019.
For the first time in nearly three years, competitive Fortnite will return to the unrivaled offline setting with an event produced by Epic Games. The FNCS broadcast made the news official ahead of day two of the Chapter 3 Season 2 Fortnite Champion Series Finals. This November, Epic will host the Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The event is open to players in all seven worldwide server regions and will deliver a massive $1 million prize pool with the best players competing to expand their legacy in a LAN environment.
$1 million Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022 revelation & details
LAN events began slowly returning across the globe following the devastating two-year COVID-19 pandemic. It seems Epic Games finally reached a level of comfort regarding in-person events. Epic Games recently gave third-party tournament operators the green light to host offline events. Subsequently, DreamHack announced two $100,000 Fortnite tournaments in Sweden this summer; then came the sudden $25,000 Fortnite Amateur Open for DreamHack Dallas in early June.
Today, Epic revealed the first-ever in-person Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022, which offers a $1 million prize pool to the top FNCS duos in attendance. The announcement did not include qualification methods, but a new Fortnite blog post provided more context:
"We will be inviting a selection of top FNCS Duos from around the world who will have the opportunity to compete in a single lobby for a share of a $1,000,000 prize pool! We plan to share more details on the FNCS Invitational 2022 in the coming months."
The prize pool breakdown is unclear at this time. However, we can expect to see the best duos in all seven competitive regions to attend.
Who will compete at the first Epic-hosted LAN since 2019?
More than two years have passed since Martin "MrSavage" Foss Andersen hoisted the DreamHack Anaheim 2020 trophy. This event occurred just before COVID-19 claimed millions of lives and effectively halted any chance of an offline Fortnite competition.
At DreamHack Anaheim, MrSavage clutched out an incredible tournament win in the final match–one of the most iconic LAN clips in history. Now, competitive Fortnite returns to a LAN environment with the world's best motivated to define their legacy.
The list of potential participants encompasses some of the best players in Fortnite history. Fortnite World Cup winner Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf, four-time FNCS Champion Tai "TaySon" Starčič and five-time FNCS Champion Matthew "Mero" Faitel are just a few of many recent Fortnite Champion Series winners. We can expect to see Bugha, TaySon, Mero, and more top competitors worldwide compete at the Fortnite FNCS Invitational 2022.
Epic Games did not clarify whether non-FNCS finalists will have a chance to qualify for the event. As a result, you'll need to check back for more information in the coming weeks. One thing is for sure, Fortnite LANs are back, and the FNCS Invitational in November will be an exceptional moment.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more Fortnite news and updates!