A $500,000 Fortnite competition is happening at the Australian Open

Despite usually dedicating itself to the sport of tennis, this year’s Australian Open will also feature a huge eSports event where Fortnite players will duke it out to claim their share of the whopping prize pool. The Fortnite Summer Smash is a collaboration between Epic Games and ESL, taking place at Margaret Court Arena. It’s also describing itself as “the largest competitive gaming event in Australian history”.

The Fortnite competition is taking place over a set of qualifying matches with the best players moving into the Grand Final event. Qualifying rounds begin on the 26th of January before the women’s singles tennis final. The finalists then get to compete on the main stage prior to the men’s singles tennis final. They are certainly giving the Fortnite Summer Smash some prime timeslots.

For anybody looking to get involved in the Fortnite Summer Smash, registration opens on January 9th at 12pm. The first 500 valid applicants will be accepted. You should be able to find a registration link on the AO Tennis website when it becomes available. You don’t even have to be a Fortnite pro to get involved, you just need to be above 16 and be an Australian or New Zealand resident. Time to get your war paint on and join the Australian eSports hall of fame!

The winner of the Fortnite Summer Smash will walk away with a cool $100,000 with the rest of the prize money split between other contestants. There will also be a duos celebrity match where online personalities and other celebrities compete to earn money for charity. Are you excited to get involved?