Epic announce Secret Skirmish Invitational for Valentine’s day

Fortnite players may have to spend the week dealing with shield shortage and trying to make sense of leaks about a snow event, but Epic has other plans. They have announced an invitational tournament happening as early as February this year. It’s called the Fortnite Secret Skirmish, it will take place on February 14th and 15th. It will be the first official Fortnite event in 2019 and a good indicator of where Epic plans to take the Esport this year. Hopefully, it will let Epic iron out any kinks in their organisational skills before the bigger Fortnite World Cup later this year.

Who exactly is playing in the Secret Skirmish is yet to be revealed, but Epic has promised it will include the “top players” from each Open Fortnite competition held so far. This should give an assurance that there will be a high-level of play during the entire event. The results should also give you a better idea of who to watch out for in the Fortnite World Cup. It might begin to show who to watch in Fortnite overall as it’s Esports scene continues to mature. The event will be an invitational, so participants are limited to only the highest level of players.

The tournament will carry prize money of $50,000. This is less than the Fortnite World Cup will likely carry, but more than the cash on offer for winners of the Fortnite Summer Smash in Australia after exchange rates. The growing prize money for invitational events is evidence of Epic’s commitment to growing their Esports community. Epic has also announced that updates and major game changes will slow down close to major tournaments. This is a move that will likely be welcomed by top players, the ever-changing game can evolve so quickly that the meta-game struggles to keep up.

Epic’s press release teased that the tournament will include some unexpected operations. This was presented in their cute ‘it’s a secret’ marketing style, so what exactly that means is anyone’s guess at the moment. In any case, it looks like there is still plenty of details to learn about Fortnite Secret Skirmish ahead of it’s Valentines Day opening.

All of the matches will be broadcast live on Twitch. The press release specifies that while it’s a full tournament, it’s also functioning as a warm-up for Epic’s broadcast team. They will need some practice ahead of this years Fortnite World Cup. The World Cup will likely include more open elements than this invitational. This is more in live with how Fortnite events have previously been conducted. By comparison, the Secret Skirmish is relatively restricted with its elite player pool. The Fortnite Secret Skirmish will be a fantastic way to watch top-tier players getting some practice in ahead of the big event.