The competitive Fortnite scene continues to develop. Now, players have banded together to create the Fortnite Professional Players Association (FNPPA). The idea of an association to represent players had bounced around for a while, and now it’s really happening. The FNPPA should provide players a strong and unified voice when communicating with Epic Games. Ultimately, this helps professional players stand together and push for changes that will benefit the competitive game. Other esports, such as Counter-Strike and League of Legends, have players associations. Fortnite is the latest esport to join the trend and unify professional players. Currently, two regions are represented in the FNPPA, but the statement implies more players will join shortly.
What does this mean for Fortnite?
One of the biggest motivators to start an association was the lack of communication between Epic Games and players. Epic Games appears to ignore the competitive players’ suggestions for multiple updates at a time. Then Epic will occasionally throw competitive players a bone with a positive update. Overall, the game appears to cater to the large casual audience. The FNPPA should provide professional players a platform to speak as a group.
The top players have called for changes to competitive Fortnite multiple times. First, players asked for vehicles, specifically Ballers, to be removed. Then calls for separate loot pools began. Ultimately, the game remains the same for both competitive and casual players. Epic Games looks to keep the game the same between different game modes, but it hurts the competitive integrity of Fortnite. A perfect example was the addition of B.R.U.T.E. mechs in tournaments. The mechs had no purpose to be in tournaments. Unfortunately, Epic Games has a commitment to include all players, regardless of skill. They want to level the playing field for everyone.
Realistically, the best players will always dominate. Regardless of what Epic Games chooses to put into the game, a skill gap will remain. This association should provide a means for players to communicate with the developer in an organized and professional way.
