Esports production company and tournament organiser BLAST will produce the 2022 Fortnite Championship Series Invitational (FNCS).
The tournament marks the battle royale’s return to in-person events following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The FNCS Invitational will take place from November 12th-13th in Raleigh, North Carolina. It will see a total of 50 duos competing for a share of $1m (~£904,245) in prize money. It’s the first LAN event for the battle royale since 2019.
The announcement expands on an initial partnership between BLAST and Fortnite signed in February 2022. Throughout the year, BLAST has produced all FNCS events after it delivered FNCS All-Star Showdown and Grand Royale events in 2021.
In recent months, BLAST continues to collaborate with a range of game publishers. In September, the company announced it will host France’s first CS:GO Major in 2023 as well as the third edition of Spike Nations, a charity VALORANT tournament in collaboration with Riot Games.
Prior to its return to LAN, Epic Games‘ battle royale secured a partnership with Team Liquid and hosted an interactive in-game experience during the Rocket League World Championship.
Leo Matlock, MD for Development at BLAST, spoke on the announcement: “The return of in-person Fortnite events is a pivotal moment for the FNCS community and BLAST is hugely proud to be able to support in making this happen. Having the opportunity to deliver such a highly-anticipated event further strengthens our partnership with the Fortnite Competitive team.
“This partnership between BLAST and Fortnite Competitive has been built on bringing together first-class technology, industry-leading production and esports expertise. We’re excited at the prospect of thousands of fans being able to experience Fortnite in-person again and can’t wait to deliver an unforgettable two-day tournament in Raleigh, North Carolina in November.”
