Turn those Battle Royale dubs into actual gold medals!
In really interesting news, the popular online PvP Fortnite has been added to the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Esports Series, Eurogamer reports.
The sporting event will now feature ten virtual sports, including archery, baseball, cycling, sailing, taekwondo, and tennis, as well as 'Just Dance,' 'Gran Turismo,' and chess.
The Olympic Esports Series
The Olympic Games are looking to appeal to a younger and more tech-savvy audience by introducing virtual sports.
To achieve this goal, they are launching the Olympic Esports Series in Singapore from June 23 to 25.
The series will feature various activities, including a "Free to Play" zone, exhibits, panel discussions, education sessions, and show matches.
How the 'Fortnite' Olympic Games Work
Fortnite is about to achieve a groundbreaking feat as it gears up to be the inaugural shooter game featured in the Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that Fortnite would participate in the virtual sports category of "sport shooting" in the forthcoming Olympic Esports Series 2023.
The contest is slated to be an invite-only event, with 12 players selected from the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series.
The competition will unfold on a specially designed island within Fortnite, which will replicate the environment of a sport shooting competition.
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Players will be evaluated based on their target aiming accuracy, akin to real-life sport shooting tournaments.
More Exciting Esports Games in the Olympics
The Olympic Esports Series organizers have collaborated with eSports platforms to provide software for competitors.
For example, Chess.com has partnered with virtual chess, Gran Turismo with motorsports, and Just Dance for Dance.
The event's first-ever live finals, which took place in 2021, attracted over 250,000 competitors from more than 100 countries. This year, the organizers are expecting even more impressive numbers.
What Adding Fortnite to the Olympics Means
Fortnite and the eSports sector have reached a major milestone with the International Olympic Committee's decision to incorporate the game in the Olympics.
Despite initial concerns about violence and discrimination, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has acknowledged eSports as a real sport with its own rules and regulations.
Fortnite's inclusion in the Olympic Esports Series will bring in more players and fans, solidifying the game's position as one of the most popular globally.
A Booming eSports Industry
Fortnite alone boasts more than 400 million active users as of 2023.
The eSports industry is growing at an incredible pace, and it is expected to continue this trend in the near future. Including eSports in the Olympics could attract a younger demographic and boost the popularity of the Games.
Numbers from Statista reveal that in 2022, the global eSports audience reached an impressive 532 million people. As the popularity of competitive gaming continues to rise, it is predicted that even more viewers will tune in to watch their favorite games played by some of the world's top gamers.
Looking ahead, experts forecast that the number of eSports viewers worldwide will surpass 640 million by 2025.
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