Fortnite Battle Royale event at E3 brings celebs, esports pros together

There’s no denying that Fortnite and its PvP offshoot, Fortnite Battle Royale, are having a moment right now. Developer Epic Games is capitalizing on the game’s skyrocketing popularity with an esports tournament in June, a major event that will feature pro Fortnite players as well as celebrities of all stripes.

Fortnite Party Royale appears to be the name of the larger event, which is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles alongside E3 2018. For the Party Royale, Epic is “pairing some of the world’s greatest athletes, musicians and entertainers with top Fortnite Battle Royale players from across the globe,” the company said in a news post.

Teams will duke it out in a tournament, the Fortnite Celebrity Pro-Am, which Epic will hold during E3. The company did not provide specific timing, but this year’s E3 will run from June 12-14. As for the players themselves, Epic said it will “soon begin building the teams,” and that the tournament will feature 100 total competitors: 50 pro gamers and 50 celebrities. Epic added that it will provide information on Fortnite’s first season of competitive play “in the next few weeks.”

That means there’s no word yet on who will show up and compete, but it’s a safe bet that Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, perhaps the most prominent Fortnite Battle Royale streamer in the world right now, will be there. Ninja boosted his already high profile last night with a record-breaking stream, in which he played Fortnite Battle Royale with the rapper Drake, as well as Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.