Fortnite is getting in-game tournaments in next update

Epic has announced that it's introducing Tournaments to Fortnite's Battle Royale mode as part of the game's imminent 6.10 update. Tournaments will be open to everyone, and are described as a chance for players to "compete directly alongside the pros for prizes and glory".

Each tournament session will last several hours, with players competing to earn the most points possible - either by eliminating others during a match or through high placements. If players can reach a tournament's target score, they'll receive a special pin. "In the future," says Epic, "earning a pin may advance you to the next round of a tournament or qualify you to win prizes."

Epic has so far announced six tournaments for the days and weeks following update 6.10's arrival. These will run from October 16th to November 1st, with tournaments lasting between two and five days, and each focussed on different play modes.

The Alpha Tournament and Salty Springs Cup are centred on Solo play, for instance, while the Beta Tournament and Tomato Temple Cup are designed for Duo play. Lastly, Friday Night Fortnite is intended for Squads. Full dates can be found on Epic's announcement page.

Notably, all tournaments will incorporate matchmaking and participants will be paired with other players of a similar skill level. "If you're playing well within the session you'll find yourself matched with stronger opponents," says Epic, "If you're struggling then you should find an easier time the longer the session goes on."

Perhaps contentiously, Epic has also confirmed that there will be no segmentation based on controller preferences, enabling mouse, controller, and touch screen players to compete together. "We've been observing the performance of controller players in our Summer Skirmish, PAX West, and Fall Skirmish tournaments while playing against mouse and keyboard players at the highest levels of competition," it says, "Competitors... have shown that controller players can be successful while competing against some of the best PC players in the world."

It remains to be seen whether Epic's optimism holds true in the real-world, when dealing with controller users not honed to competition standard, but with Fortnite's 6.10 update scheduled to launch on October 16th, there isn't long to wait.