Earlier this week, some very committed fans of Fortnite Battle Royale dug into the game's files and uncovered content that seemed to suggest that a competitive game mode is on the way. As fans began to speculate about what a ranked leaderboard could look like, developer Epic Games has lifted the lid on its plans to let players prove themselves as the best.
Today, Epic Games announced Solo Showdown, a new game mode that is the latest Limited Time event to hit Fortnite Battle Royale. Beginning today, Solo Showdown will run until May 21 at 10AM ET. Epic Games explains that this new mode will allow players to take part in a "hotly contested" experience, as players will be facing off against other "self selected competitors" which presumably means anyone who has queued up to play.
Unlike other Limited Time Modes that have previously been added to the game, Solo Showdown "will not change core gameplay of the current Solo mode," says Epic. Though, despite the mode not offering huge changes to Fortnite Battle Royale gameplay, it will provide "the ultimate test of survival."
Epic also reveals that there will be some huge prizes for those who do well in Solo Showdown, with prizes to be rewarded after the event has finished. Anyone who lands between 51st and 100th place will bag themselves 7,500 V-Bucks, those in 5th - 50th place will receive 13,500 V-Bucks, those in 2nd - 4th will get 25,000 V-Bucks, and whoever lands in 1st place will get 50,000 V-Bucks. Given that lots more new skins and cosmetics are headed to the game, Solo Showdown's top 100 will have plenty of ways to spend their winnings.
Curiously, Epic says that the Solo Showdown mode is just a "one-off stepping stone", as it figures out how to create more events that work for "all types of players." This mode is very clearly aimed at Fortnite Battle Royale's best and most-skilled players (such as record-setting players like Ninja) and Epic also teases a "major announcement about competitive play" coming next week. However, the company will be considering how players at lower skill levels get on with this, too.
Epic will want to know if Solo Showdown makes lower skilled players feel left out, makes them feel as though they want to get much better at the game, and so on. Given that Fortnite has more than 40 million players, the game crosses over plenty of skill levels, so making everyone feel included and entertained is important to keep them sticking around.
Fortnite is available now in early access for iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Epic Games