Fortnite Competitive and Counter-Strike Major In-Person Events Canceled

With the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc worldwide, Epic Games and Valve have officially canceled several of their in-person event lineups for 2021, including Epic’s Fortnite Competitive events and Valve’s Counter-Strike Spring Major scheduled to take place in May 2021, with the in-person Fall Major cautiously still on schedule for November. The announcement is a huge blow to competitive gamers who rely on the Majors and the Fortnite World Cup’s lucrative prize pools, but is unsurprising given the current climate.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already vastly affected gaming tournaments, along with a countless number of major public events, in 2020 since the initial lockdowns began in earnest in March, but there was prevalent public opinion that the pandemic would wind down by the end of the year. Valve’s two 2021 Counter-Strike Majors began accepting proposals in May of 2019, well before the pandemic kicked off in earnest, and remained on Valve’s agenda after lockdowns began, although the 2020 Majors were canceled. Meanwhile, Epic made no announced confirmation about whether a Fortnite World Cup would happen in 2021 after the 2020 World Cup was canceled as a direct result of the rapidly rising COVID-19 cases. When the pandemic seemingly peaked at the end of summer, and with vaccine development making promising strides, it seemed as if 2021 would be a return to some degree of normalcy, enough to allow more in-person events, as was earlier believed.

But a recent surge in COVID-19 cases resulting in triple or sometimes even quadruple the numbers seen during the summer peak have brought with it a new wave of restrictions. Despite a potential vaccine going into production as early as the end of this month, Epic Games has decided instead not to hold its in-person Fortnite World Cup 2021, and the company will not be resuming any in-person events until it is decidedly safe to do so. Meanwhile, Valve announced to tournament organizers via email (as reported by Eurogamer) that the Counter-Strike Spring Major has been canceled, although the developer would not confirm that the pandemic was the cause. The Fall Major is still tentatively on the docket for November 2021, with a venue and an unknown partner already lined up.

The good news is that, for Fortnite at least, online events are still going forward. The Fortnite Champion Series will remain unaffected by the cancelations, with FNCS Chapter 2 – Season 5 set to kick off on February 4. Valve has made no specific announcements to the public yet as to what, if any, online events may be hold in lieu of 2021’s Spring Major. Presumably, if the pandemic does show signs of abatement, the Fall Major will go forward as long as it’s reasonably safe to do so.

The announcement is undoubtedly depressing to those who were hoping for some return to normalcy, after the longest and most difficult year that many have endured. But gaming studios responsible for major events have greater responsibility for the health and safety of their participants and employees. Valve and Epic Games are doing their part to help mitigate another wave, as disappointing as it may be, so that cancelations like these won’t be the new normal in the future.

Source: Epic Games, Eurogamer

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