The recent revival of Friday Fortnite has been an outstanding success. The viewership numbers are through the roof on Twitch and YouTube, with stars like Drake even tuning in. However, there is one entity that does not seem too pleased with the event, and that’s Epic Games.
Since its inception, Epic Games has largely disapproved of Friday Fortnite. Even though the tournament brings in millions of viewers, it is technically a non-sanctioned Fortnite event. So while it does increase Fortnite viewership numbers, it does not benefit Epic in any way other than game promotion.
This where the dilemma comes into play. While Epic no doubt sees the popularity of Fortnite grow every Friday, it’s a habit of theirs to have control over everything. It’s this habit that led them to release a community guideline for all non-sanctioned Fortnite events.
Ridiculous pic.twitter.com/4zTsJZCUHQ
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) June 7, 2019
What’s in this community guideline?
Essentially, Epic Games is restricting a large chunk of Fortnite branding for commercial use. They put forth a long list of “Do’s and Don’ts” for any tournament design art. This includes putting the term “Featuring Fortnite” below any brand name.
Also included is an extensive list of retired keyart that is no longer available for use. Old logos, backgrounds, and other designs are all now restricted for any event branding.
What this means for Friday Fortnite
Clearly, this is Epic Games establishing power over this event. It’s not a coincidence this guideline came out the same day that the second Friday Fortnite event started. Epic obviously wants to stop KEEMSTAR and UMG Gaming from acting with impunity where their design is concerned.
Going forward, Friday Fortnite will need to design a new logo for itself. However, the overall layout of the tournament should stay the same. KEEMSTAR has previously said that he has a new patron for the event, so it isn’t going anywhere.
Whether this is good or bad news in the eyes of Epic Games remains a mystery. The number of people watching Fortnite on Fridays beats any official World Cup event, but that may not be a good thing for Epic. While viewers are increasing, it’s not for the right event in their eyes. That said, this is in large part thanks to the format of Friday Fortnite compared to the World Cup.
Will the popularity of Friday Fortnite cause Epic Games to rethink their formatting for future events? Let us know in the comments below! Stay tuned to our Fortnite page for all news and updates.
