Parents no longer have a leg to stand on when telling their kids to get off Fortnite because it's now become a legitimate way to earn an Olympic gold medal. The International Olympic Committee has today announced the Battle Royale game will be a part of its Olympic Esports Week next month, held in Singapore as part of a new "sport shooting" section.
A custom island has been created inside Fortnite to be used in the Olympic tournament, and 12 players from the 2023 Fortnite Champion Series are invited to compete. "A specially designed Fortnite Creative Island, made to reflect sport shooting competition, will put the target-aiming accuracy of sharp shooters to the test and see them navigate the in-game environment as they compete to become an Olympic Esports Series winner," a press release from today explains.
Fortnite competitors will go for the Olympic gold medal on Saturday, 24th June 2023, with other titles like Gran Turismo 7, NBA 2K23, and Eleven Table Tennis also part of the eSports lineup. Tickets are on sale now for $10-$15. Will you now take your Fortnite kill-death ratio a bit more seriously? Work your way to a gold medal in the comments below.
Comments 47
I think I just died a little inside 😑
The signs of the end times are officially upon us.
Every day we stray further from God.
Fortnite hook me like heroin. I admit, I never really paid attention but now that I’ve tried zero build mode, the gameplay loop is ridiculously addicting.
These are dark days lads. Hold on to any hope you can find.
I'm not good at Fortnite, but this is probably the closest to a gold medal I'll ever get. 😂
Glad I didn't eat breakfast before reading this article.
We need to leave Earth. Soon.
Just when I thought Russian figure skaters were the lowest low the IOC could hit, this happens.
FFS... society has truly become pathetic.
Well this is lame.
Bunch of cry babies above me
Remember Antoine Greaseman marred a WC final with the L dance 🤮 man what a despicable cretin
oh dear ,what have we become lol,next domino's will become a physical Olympic sport just to see how many domino's you can lift with yr fingers as an endurance event ,never thought I'd see the day its laughable it really is
These replies are great. 😂
Funny how we spent years trying to make our hobby legit and mainstream and not seen as "toys for boys" . And as soon as stuff like this happens it's apparently "the worst thing ever".
@AdamNovice I know, some of this reads like a Daily Mail comments section. I think everyone forgot what their hobby is lol
@kyleforrester87 I don't get really, I mean gaming is a step closer to been seen as an Olympic sport...who would have guessed that back in the 80's?
It's only my opinion on it, we all think differently @Beerlsawesome,I've got no issues with people that think it's ok ,gaming is an awesome hobby I've been brought up with it like many people on pushsquare ,but I disagree on this that's all ,all gd though everyone's entitled to their view
How come Fortnite got selected over COD
I'll be honest, I'm jealous.
I was born in the wrong era where video games were frowned upon and being a "nerd" made you a social outcast.
Today, it's literally making people millions of dollars. Here I am doing the M-F/9-5 grind rather than playing video games for a living.
At 42, I am passed my prime and still kind of frowned upon: "You play video games at your age? Grow up!"
@GamingFan4Lyf Preach it. I was often very quiet about being a gamer, now all my students talk about is gaming. We were born 25 years too early.
What is it about Fortnite that makes people shake their fists at the sky? 😂
I’ve been playing since Chapter 2 Season 4 (the Marvel season) and I still think it’s great. I can’t see myself ever not wanting to play it tbh.
@AdamNovice
It’s not really the fact that a game was included.
It’s the fact that Fortnite was a selection for me. Not games at all being included.
There are far better shooters to use for advertising our hobby. Like I don’t know, Halo 3? Or Unreal Tournament 2004? Masterpieces of multiplayer shooter action.
And I actually like and play Fortnite. But the game is anything but a masterpiece.
@ItsBritneyB_tch
Because it’s objectively not the best shooter.
Its shooting mechanics are tolerable at best.
I would have rather seen a truly timeless shooter like Halo 3 or Unreal Tournament 2004 featured at an Olympics event. Both of those games are played to this day because they are multiplayer shooter masterpieces that are timeless.
@GamingFan4Lyf I feel ya. However, I'd argue (and I've told my kids this) - once you do something for work/money things begin to change. For me personally it would turn it from an enjoyable hobby to a must do chore to put food on the table. But yeah, I can see those who have a job so fun and fulfilling that it doesn't feel like a job/work. In my 45 years on this planet, I've found that latter group to be the large minority. However, I haven't traveled much, so perhaps I'm wrong.
So is gt7 sorry if you have already mentioned this
@OrtadragoonX Well, celebrate this and maybe in the future you'll get what you want.
I never thought I would see the day when possibly some random 600 pound plus guy could realistically compete and earn an Olympic gold medal 🙂
The most pathetic headline I've ever read period....
the world is completely gone insane, we have hit a new low, I've hoped that this cancer would go away quick but it seems it's the most aggressive and toxic variant ever existed in society, i felt legit ill for a moment just reading this article, Gen Z after graduating from college or university will say "oh!" i just won a gold medal in fortnite! I'm gonna spend another grand and buy a few skins to "woke" my character! (Eminem lyric moment 🎶🎶) i'm already feeling unwell right now 🤢🤢 the world has gone mad!
@OrtadragoonX @kyleforrester87 We're talking about the IOC here. When have they ever done anything that didn't net the best financial result? This is the same IOC that decided the same Russian Committee that was caught red handed systematically doping could just keep going if they simply don't use the flag because the money was too important to lose, making a mockery of the entire rules system, and then did it again.
I think we can guess why Fortnite was chosen over anything else.
Now if you'll excuse me I have to go prepare to sit on my couch and play GT7 in my pajamas to train for taking down Phelps' record.
And Olympic Esport racer will be Mario Kart...
@ItsBritneyB_tch I've been playing Fortnite since 3-2 or 3-3 about an hour a day which is more than I ever thought I would b/c I thought I would hate it after like 20 minutes.
The reason I think "gamers" hate it is b/c it's free-to-play and they have to justify spending $100+ a year on CoD, Destiny, FIFA or whatever. That's not sarcasm, I really think that. It's not the only reason, I mean it's not exactly the greatest game I've ever played, probably not top 25 even, but it's the reason gamers non-stop pile on Fortnite rather than just say "oh that sucks" and move on. Lots of games suck, list is endless, but Fortnite is free. And popular. They can't stand it.
Full disclosure: I once paid $7.99 w/ some free PSN credit I got, $10 for 1,000 points or some such, but since then I've just been rolling over the V-bux each season and chapter. So it wasn't free free, but close enough for me for my 500 hours or so.
@Keyblade-Dan i died from laughing
I get the frustration from so many other commenters on here, given that it is Fortnite.
However, I can't help feeling excited about a super popular game coming to this Esports part of the olympics. Sure, it's not a game I play, not even one I enjoy watching. But it has a serious pro scene and is a good poster child for what a proper professional Esport shooter can look like.
I'm not a fan of Fortnite myself but I'm not fuming over this news piece as its not exactly the "strangest thing" that ever happened to the gaming or olympic world imo (and admittedly, my long-since dead interest in the olympics, which frankly has been a joke for years now thanks to many other "serious" reasons, is also why I'm not 'going crazy' lol).
Overall this road for gaming is not something I personally would or will support, but considering how gaming has been slowly but surely trying to merge into the mainstream scene for decades, and coupled with the insane popularity of both Fortnite and the e-Sports scene, this news kinda makes sense in a way.
Plus, as BeerIsAwesome above mentioned, a few e-Sport games (DOTA 2, eFootball, and Rocket League) were an invitational part of the Commonwealth games last year, so something like this was a long time coming.
Nonsense. But whatever.
People waste endless hours watching other people play videogames so this was going to happen. Next olympic event is making a YouTube video.
@kyleforrester87 I still love my hobby doesn't mean I want it in the Olympics. I also love eating pie and do love eating but I rather not see it as a Olympic sport.
@Coolmusic Maybe not strange but really disappointing. I love gaming but it's not a Olympic sport. Sport is something that should be used for a healthy livestyle not this. But sport unions are all about the money now they don't care about human rights or any form of ethics. The FIFA goes next level with this and is even beyond shame now and they admit it.
@Coolmusic When will the gymclass in schools be sitting behind a desk and playing Fortnite a thing ask this to a person and wait what reaction you will get. The same goes for the Olympics it should be used for a healthy livestyle not for gaining more wealth.
But this is IOC that puts stadions in Afrika while people die from starvation. After you see the Olympics go away you will the things fade away rot away.
@rjejr Gaming is great fun but even I can admit it should never be a Olympic sport.
@Flaming_Kaiser Olympic E sport 😉
Gaming isn't a "sport". Neither is pool (billiards), poker, or darts. Ok maybe darts, maybe. I'm sure someone would argue billiards as well b/c skill is involved, but skill is involved in lots of things, like building a house of cards, or making those really long domino chains that fall over. And some people think weird things like that are sports. 🤷♂️
So the whole "esports" isn't a sport ship has sailed. Or sank. So I don't even get into that discussion anymore, people are literally earning MILLIONS of $ competitively playing games.
https://www.esportsearnings.com/players
Is breakdancing a sport. The Olympics thinks it's a REAL sport, not even an esport.
https://en.as.com/en/2021/08/08/olympic_games/1628423968_762841.html
If breakdancing can be an actual Olympic sport, gaming can be an esport. Emphasis on the "E". Breakdancing. 🙄
@rjejr Breakdancing does make you burn calories give you a more healthy lifestyle so yes I see Breakdancing more as a sport.
@Flaming_Kaiser "make you burn calories"
So does sex. Waiting for sex to be a competitive sport in the Olympics. They can have singles & doubles divisions. 😂
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