Fortnite is a fun game. It is refreshing and provides a way for people to play without caring about losing their rank. Epic Games may pour millions of dollars into the game for it to develop as an esport but it might never become one.

First problem is hosting these competitions. Even the big esports events have at best 12 players at a time. CS:GO majors have 2 teams, 5 players in each battling it out. In Fortnite, to even get a game started you need at least 100 players. Hosts have to find a hundred players and provide accommodation. That is considering that the same players will be playing in all the events. Hosting huge events like these are not easy. This problem cannot be solved until Epic Games releases a smaller battle royale format for Fortnite, like 20 – 50 players.

Unlike the previous problem which all battle royale games suffer from, fortnite has a problem which is completely unique to it. There is a difference between an esports title and a refreshing title. An esport title is a title that remains consistent for a long period, allowing player to get used to the META, while on the other hand, refreshing titles get consistent updates that change the gameplay too much. Don’t get me wrong, esports titles have updates but not as frequently as games like Fortnite.

Fortnite, to keep its fans entertained, updates basically every week. They change the META (most effective tactic available) too frequently. One week it might be the drum gun, the next day double pump and the following, pistols. It does not have the consistency available by most esports.

In games like League of Legends, the game is updated to fix issues. New content takes time to come. They work on balancing the game and then adding new content to the game itself. They let the META set over a few months and then add a new feature. They only patch the game if required.

In Fortnite, due to being updated constantly, the META shifts to often. Just before the Winter Skirmish, Epic Games added the Infinity Blade. It disrupted the entire tournament because no one knew how to properly use it or how to counter it. After the event, Epic Games removed the blade. They couldn’t balance the blade.

Epic Games has to realize that for a game to become an esport, it needs to stay consistent, in most of the gameplay aspects. Shifting META is not the answer. Consistency is key to it being an esport.