In yet another jab at Apple, Epic Games has announced it will be hosting its own Fortnite tournament under the hashtag #FreeFortnite. To help launch a new chapter in its Fornite franchise, Epic has asked players to join the company on Aug. 23, to “celebrate the quest for one more Victory Royale” and win prizes including a new Tart Tycoon Outfit, gaming hardware, and exclusive apparel.
The impetus behind this tournament has everything to do with the Epic Games lawsuit filed against Apple earlier this week after the iPhone and iOS maker removed Fortnite from the Apple Store. Also, Apple has threatened to remove the developer tools it licenses to companies such as Epic to allow third-party software to work or be updated on iOS and Mac systems. This is especially devastating for Epic, as a large part of its business structure is the licensing of its Unreal Engine–a 3D graphics engine used for multiple application in the video game and film entertainment sectors–to developers.
Players can enter the tournament by navigating to the in-game Compete tab to see when regional events start. Then, players may drop into the tournament by selecting the #FreeFortnite Cup Playlist.
