In a Grand Slam first Australian Open 2021 will feature five weeks of top level competitive gaming, with the Fortnite Champion Series OCE qualifying and finals broadcast live on Australian Open Twitch and Youtube from Sunday 14 February.
The Fortnite Champion Series is an online tournament offering the worlds’ best players and teams the chance to compete against each other to claim the title of champion in their region.
The Australian Open will broadcast the qualifiers and finals for the Oceania region across five weekends from 14 February – 14 March, with support from commentators and Fortnite experts including Aussie Antics, MonsterDface, Coach Timmy, Falloutt and Vandie.
“We’re excited to continue to expand our competitive gaming offerings with the broadcast of the Fortnite Champion Series Oceania region, starting this weekend,” Tennis Australia Senior Gaming Producer Mark Riedy said.
“Each year we look for ways to make the Australian Open bigger with new opportunities to reach new audiences with our event broadcasts, and it’s a perfect opportunity to connect with new fans and expand our global reach through one of the fastest growing games in the world.”
Developed by Epic Games, Fortnite is one of the world’s most popular video games, with more than 350 million accounts. Australia is a world leader in Fortnite engagement and is home to a number of the top ranked players and creators.
Fortnite’s ongoing partnership with the Australian Open and recent collaborations with other Australian sports leagues demonstrates the relationship between gaming and sport, and bring esports fans and conventional sporting fans together.
“Fortnite continues to evolve as a platform that intersects gaming, sport and entertainment,” said Nate Nanzer, Head of Global Partnerships for Epic Games.
“We have built a strong relationship with the Australian Open through our previous Fortnite Summer Smash events and will be running the Fortnite Champion Series in Australia alongside six other regions around the world.”
The partnership between AO and Epic Games through Fortnite commenced in 2019 with the first ever AO Summer Smash, the largest competitive gaming event seen in Australia. 2020’s AO Summer Smash played host to competitors from over 11 countries and was Fortnite’s most watched event ever in the APAC region.
FNCS OCE presented by AO broadcast
Twitch.tv/ausopen
YouTube.com/australianopentv
Broadcast will commence at 3:45 pm AEDT with live coverage from 4.00pm-7.30pm on the following dates:
Qualifier 1: 14 February
Qualifier 2: 21 February
Qualifier 3: 28 February
Semifinals: 7 March
Finals: 14 March
The Fortnite Champion Series OCE qualifying is open to eligible trios’ players who have reached Champion League in Arena.