Fortnite: $2 Million Dollar FNCS Invitational Announced – Prize Pool, Start Date, Format & More

Epic Games announced an FNCS Invitational, which will feature the world’s best players in a solo regional showdown with a lot of money up for grabs.

After the Fortnite Champion Series just completed, many thought that we’d have to wait until Chapter 2 Season 3 for another competition. That is not the case, it seems, as the Competitive Fortnite Team just shook the community with a $2M USD FNCS Invitational which will begin on May 2.

What is the FNCS Invitational?

The FNCS Invitational starts May 2nd, 2020 through the rest of the season. Competitors will have an opportunity to qualify to compete against the best of the best from past FNCS Grand Finals for their share of the $2 million prize pool.

More info: https://t.co/DiSkP2HO8O

— Fortnite Competitive (@FNCompetitive) April 24, 2020

The FNCS Invitational is a solo competition that will feature finalists from the last three Fortnite Champion Series events. In a blog post, the team behind competitive Fortnite detailed start dates and what to expect for the FNCS Invitational.

“On the heels of crowning this season’s FNCS Champions, we’re excited to announce our next round of competition is right around the corner: The FNCS Invitational.

Beginning Saturday, May 9, the FNCS Invitational will take place over the following three weekends. We’re inviting the best of the best in each region.”

As expected, this FNCS Invitational applies to all seven competitive regions. According to the post, 500 players have already punched their ticket into the competition. Here are the players who have earned the right to compete in the tournament as former FNCS Finalists:

• The top 100 players from Chapter 2; Season 2 PC FNCS Finals
• The top 100 players from Chapter 2; Season 2 Console/Mobile FNCS Finals
• The top 100 players from Chapter 2; Season 1 FNCS Finals
• The top 100 players from Season X FNCS Finals
• Up to 100 players invited directly by Epic

That list of players is extensive, to say the least, with names like Benjyfishy, Mongraal, Tfue, Khanada, Bugha and many more in the group of players who recently participated in one of the three previous FNCS Finals.

How can I Qualify for the Event?

There is a long list of talented players in competitive Fortnite who have failed to reach the FNCS Finals in the past. The Competitive Fortnite team also provided hopeful competitors who have reached Champions Division in Arena Mode a chance to qualify for the FNCS Invitational.

“On May 2, we’ll kick off an Open Qualifier for Champion ranked players. An additional 100 players in each region will have an opportunity to earn an invite to the FNCS Invitational, giving you the chance to play against some of the biggest names in Competitive Fortnite and a share of the $2,000,000 prize pool.”

With $2M USD on the line, you will want to attend the Open Qualifier to grant yourself a chance to compete against some of the world’s best Fortnite players. You will not have to fight against the top professional players as, according to the rules, “players may only participate in a single region’s Open Qualifier for any session. Players already invited directly to Week 1 (as defined below) will not be allowed to participate in the Open Qualifier.” It’s also worth noting that the rules indicate that players will only be able to participate in one region for this three-week tournament.

New Format and Scoring System

For the FNCS Invitational, Epic Games is using a scoring system that most will not be familiar with at this stage. Placement points will begin at 75th place, and players will earn 33 points should they complete the Victory Royale. Each elimination achieved by a player will yield four points toward their overall score. Here is the complete scoring system layout for the Solo FNCS Invitational:

• Victory Royale: 33 Points
• 2nd: 26 Points
• 3rd: 22 Points
• 4th: 19 Points
• 5th: 17 Points
• 6th: 16 Points
• 7th: 15 Points
• 8th: 14 Points
• 9th: 13 Points
• 10th: 12 Points
• 11th – 15th: 9 Points
• 16th – 20th: 7 Points
• 21st – 30th: 5 Points
• 31st – 40th: 3 Points
• 41st – 50th: 2 Points
• 51st – 75th: 1 Point

There’s a lot to dissect here, and we expect that this will be a test run for future events in terms of the scoring system. It rewards placement much more than previous scoring systems and also bumps elimination points from one to four, which is significant.

Weeks One and Two

We previously mentioned that past FNCS results and the Open Qualifier would determine which players participate in week one. Week one and two of the competition will feature ten matches over three hours. The top 300 players per region from week one will play in week two, and the top 80 from each area in week two will secure themselves a spot in the Grand Finals. Here’s a look at Europe’s prize pool for weeks one and two.

Week One

• 1st $15,000
• 2nd $10,000
• 3rd $8,000
• 4th $6,000
• 5th $4,000
• 6th $2,500
• 7th $1,150
• 8th $900
• 9th $700
• 10th $500
• 11th-15th $400
• 16th-20th $350
• 21st-30th $300
• 31th-40th $250
• 41st – 50th $200

Week Two

• 1st $50,000
• 2nd $35,000
• 3rd $20,000
• 4th $10,000
• 5th $5,000
• 6th $3,000
• 7th $2,500
• 8th $1,500
• 9th $1,000
• 10th $750
• 11th-15th $400
• 16th-20th $350
• 21st-30th $300
• 31th-40th $250
• 41st – 50th $200

Twenty open spots per region will remain after the conclusion of week two, which players will fill after a deciding Reboot Round before the finale.

Reboot Round

For the FNCS Invitational, players who do not qualify through weeks one or two after the Open Qualifier will still have a chance to reach Grand Finals. The rule set for the FNCS Invitational reads as follows:

“Any player in Week 1 or Week 2 who does not advance to the Grand Finals will instead be able to queue up for the Reboot Round (“Reboot Round”) for a last chance to advance to the Grand Finals. It will not be possible to enter the Grand Finals without (a) ranking in a region’s top 80 players during Week 2 as set out in Section 2.5.6, or (b) ranking in a region’s top 20 players during the Reboot Round as set out in Section 2.5.6.”

The Reboot Round will feature a maximum of six matches over three hours, and the top 20 will move into Grand Finals for their respective region.

Grand Finals

One hundred players across all seven competitive regions will compete in the Grand Finals of the FNCS Invitational. Over two sessions, qualified competitors will participate in 12 matches with their total cumulative score reflecting their final placement. Here is the Grand Finals prizing breakdown for Europe:

• 1st $120,000
• 2nd $95,000
• 3rd $70,000
• 4th $60,000
• 5th $50,000
• 6th $40,000
• 7th $30,000
• 8th $22,000
• 9th $14,000
• 10th $7,000
• 11th-15th $3,000
• 16th-20th $2,000
• 21st-30th $1,800
• 31th-40th $1,400
• 41st – 50th $1,000
• 51st-100th $500

In addition to this, the first place winner in NA East will take home $100K USD, and NA West’s winner will earn $40K USD. Please visit the FNCS Invitational rules page to see a complete list of prizes.

Professional players and fans thought we’d have to wait a long time for another competition, but Epic Games had other plans. The FNCS Invitational begins on May 2 with Open Qualifiers and will last three weeks, which should segway nicely into a brand new season of Fortnite.

Stay tuned to ESTNN for all up-to-date news on the FNCS Invitational and other competitive Fortnite news.

Featured Image: Epic Games

Source: Epic Games