The state of FNCS and Fortnite competitive play in 2021

Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 5 dropped just this week and many players have been rather excited over the Mandalorian and baby Yoda skins. Epic Games has been pleased with how the fans have received the season, so now seems like the best time to discuss the Fortnite competitive scene for 2021. In a recent blog post, the development team outlined their plans for tournaments and competitive prep.

In regard to in-person tournaments, the team stressed that they want to hold global, in-person events again. However, with the uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic, they have instead opted for all 2021 tournaments to be online events. This includes the Fortnite World Cup.

“Our priority for any such event is the health and safety of our players and staff,” the blog post stated.

The Fortnite Championship Series for 2021

The Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) will continue in 2021, so there is no need to worry about that. Additionally, Epic Games has decided to standardize the FNCS party size to Trios.

“While Trios will be a constant in FNCS, we still may alter the scoring and/or qualification formats season by season. Our hope with this change is to place more stability and consistency around FNCS.”

The Chapter 2 – Season 5 FNCS will begin on Feb. 4, 2021.

Also, Epic Games will look into other avenues for “high-level competition” next year. The team is currently compiling a schedule of weekly tournaments, “unique tournaments” and Creator Cups throughout 2021. The post also promised that these competitions will not be just Trios.

Epic Games also cautioned that it will be actively monitoring the new gameplay mechanics implemented in Chapter 2 – Season 5. With competitive playlists in particular, the new Bars system will reset at the start of every match with no carryover in between. The developers are looking into possibly implementing this system into competitive play, but they want to keep their eyes on it. The post emphasized that the team will pay “close attention to your feedback” with the new Bars system.

Even though the Fortnite competitive season for 2021 will remain online only, it should still be an exciting season of tournaments for Fortnite fans.