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Epic won't hold in-person Fortnite events in 2021

The company said that too much is "still unknown about what is practical and safe" due to the COVID-19 crisis

Epic Games announced it won't organise any in-person Fortnite events in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Epic said its priority is the health and safety of both its staff and Fortnite players, and that there is too much uncertainty about the situation to guarantee either for the foreseeable future.

"With so much still unknown about what is practical and safe, we do not plan to hold in-person events in 2021, including a Fortnite World Cup," the announcement read. "We will continue to provide online competitions throughout 2021 with the hopes that physical events, in some form, can return at some point in the future."

The Fortnite Championship Series Invitational will continue throughout 2021, Epic added, with Season 5's Chapter 2 set to begin on February 4. The studio also said that it's looking at "other avenues for high-level competition" for next year, that could include more "weekly tournaments, unique tournaments, and Creator Cups throughout the year."

Fortnite's Marvel finale last week was Fortnite's biggest event ever, with 15.3 million concurrent users.

Earlier this year, Epic gauged interest in a monthly Fortnite subscription, before introducing it at the end of November.

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Marie Dealessandri

Deputy Editor

Marie Dealessandri joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2019 to head its Academy section. A journalist since 2012, she started in games in 2016 at B2B magazine MCV. She can be found (rarely) tweeting @mariedeal, usually on a loop about Baldur’s Gate and the Dead Cells soundtrack. GI resident Moomins expert.