In response to the current coronavirus pandemic, Epic Games has announced some major changes to Fortnite's competitive scene. In an effort to curb large gatherings, all physical Fortnite competitions and events for the remainder of 2020 will now be held online. Unfortunately, the Fortnite World Cup this year has been cancelled altogether "due to limitations of cross region online competition."
Because of the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and when life could return to normal, Epic was unable to provide a window for when Fortnite's competitive series could return to "large, global in-person events." Still, the developer is "hopeful" that they can put on "some form" of Fortnite World Cup in 2021.
In the meantime, Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) will return each season for the remainder of the year, giving players around the globe the opportunity to compete. Cash Cups will continue to be held regularly with cash prizes. Epic will also continue to work with third parties to provide unique experiences for players; however, these will remain in an online format only. Official broadcasts will also be returning, starting this week with the FNCS Invitational.
Fortnite is just one of many competitive games to be affected by the coronavirus. Esports competitions and events for League of Legends, Overwatch, PUBG, Counter-Strike and more have been changed to an online format, postponed or cancelled.