The best of Australian Fortnite talent congregated at the Australian Open, typically a setting for Tennis only, to put on one of Australia’s biggest ever esports events.
The Summer Smash was split into two tournaments, one main solo event for Australian pro’s and amateurs, and a Pro-Am featuring Fortnite personalities and celebrities.
As with all Epic Games operated Fortnite events, there was a massive prize pool up for grabs, with $500,000 total for the solo tournament making it the largest prize pool at any Australian esports event ever.
This mean there was life changing money on the line, with first place in the solo event walking away with a cool $100,000, and there was $50,000 each for the runner up and third place finisher.
Renegades pro Jesse ‘X2Twins Jesse’ Eckley took down first place thanks to a consistent performance throughout the heats, claiming multiple Victory Royales and the $100,000 cash prize.
Fortnite Australian Open 2019: Summer Smash – Final Placements
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| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | X2Twins Jesse | $100,000 |
| 2 | Araki | $50,000 |
| 3 | NotNaapr | $50,000 |
| 4 | TheSchnake | $25,000 |
| 5 | Gosu_Keith | $25,000 |
| 6 | Jynx | $25,000 |
| 7 | Dolf | $5,000 |
| 8 | DevourOCE | $5,000 |
| 9 | Kayez | $5,000 |
| 10 | Tayler_is_me | $5,000 |
The Pro-Am event was a three-match duo competition featuring well-known players and even some celebrity faces. Some technical problems marred the first match, with players unable to load in, but because the Pro-Am was purely for charity, players were courteous about the issues.
Another Renegades player. Harley ‘Mrfreshasian’ Campbell, got first place in the Pro-Am too, and the $50,000 first place prize was split between two charities of the winners’ choosing.
What a day for #RNGFortnite at the #AusOpen #FNSummerSmash! Each of the boys turned up and showed the world what they're capable of and we couldn't be more proud.
A huge thanks to the fans, the crowd, and everyone involved :face_with_cowboy_hat: #ytb pic.twitter.com/1NPLpZZvtK
— Renegades (@Renegades) January 27, 2019
Next up on the Fortnite esports calendar is the ESL Katowice Royale at IEM Katowice. A $100,000 Polish only tournament starts on February 24, and then another $500,000 international tournament will begin on March 1.
Controversially, the March 1 tournament is expected to be the day after the launch of Season 8 of Fortnite, so there are concerns some major changes will come in to play shortly before the competition.