Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, has announced that region locking will be removed from Fortnite tournaments, not including the Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS).
The new change comes into effect immediately, meaning that ongoing events that were region-locked will now allow its players to play in multiple regions. For example, going forward European players will now be allowed to compete in the North American events and vice versa.
Previously, Epic Games had a strict policy that players could only compete in one region. Therefore if a player competed in the North American Victory Cup they could not then compete in the European Victory Cup, with the new ruling players would be able to freely play in the same tournament in multiple regions.
It also means that players who made their account in Asia, but have since wished to compete in another region, will now be able to do so.
The announcement did not go into any detail as to why the game’s publisher has made this decision, but it will allow players more opportunities to compete and potentially make more money.
Fortnite is no stranger to change. Released in 2017, the game’s ecosystem goes through ‘chapters’ whereby sweeping changes occur to gameplay and its systems to keep the game fresh and new. Since the release of its hit game, Epic Games has put a significant focus on Fortnite.
Earlier this year Disney invested $1.5bn (~£1.2bn) into game developer Epic Games with a specific focus on the well-known battle royale title. Last year Epic Games did make staff cuts, however, this predominantly affected the Rocket League team.
