This past weekend, Fortnite fans crowded Melbourne's Margaret Court Arena as it played host to the inaugural Fortnite Summer Smash.
With over 20,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch, the event saw pro players, Fortnite personalities, and sport stars came together for the event, competing for a share of $500,000 in prize money and charitable donations - the largest prize pool in Australian esports history.
By the end of the weekend, two players from from Renegades took out the event's top prizes. During the solo event, Jesse 'X2Twins Jesse' Eckely came away with the trophy and a share of $100,000 and Harley 'MrFreshAsian' Campbell and his duo partner, Jack 'JXN' Brazier won the Pro-Am event and split their $50,000 prize between two charities: Heaps Decent and Water.org.
Across the Saturday and Sunday, 500 players competed in the solos but only 10 made it to the final standings.
- X2Twins Jesse - $100,000
- Araki - $50,000
- NotNaapr - $50,000
- TheSchnake - $25,000
- Gosu_Keith - $25,000
- Jynx - $25, 000
- Dolf - $5,000
- DevourOCE - $5,000
- Kayez - $5,000
- Tayler_is_me - $5,000
Swearing and Competitive Gaming Can Come Hand-in-Hand
The Fortnite Summer Smash, casted by the likes of Dr Lupo, Fallout, Sandman, Elfishguy, and Vandie was pitched as a family-friendly event but sometimes that can be difficult to maintain during live events.
During a post-game interview with Lazarbeam, the YouTuber accidentally let loose a word that accurately described his experience but may have not been suitable for the young crowd in the stands. Although, what made the interaction even better was when Lazarbeam swore a second time a few seconds later.
So if you want to relive this moment or catch up on the event, the Fortnite Summer Smash is available to re-watch on Twitch.
Overall, the Fortnite event brought more attention to Australia's esports scene and the growth of Fortnite as an esports title. It also gave a number of players in Australia and across the region - from Korea, Japan and China - a chance to show off their skills to the world.
