This year, competitive Fortnite is heading back to the Australian Open with an invitational $100K Duos Tournament.
Fortnite’s ongoing partnership alongside the Australian Open dates back to 2019 when the first AO Summer Smash competition took place. At the event, Australia’s own “X2Twins Jesse” claimed first place and collected more than $100K USD. The following year, another Australian — Breso — overcame some of the world’s best to secure the tournament victory and $100K USD. Both events also featured a Pro-Am Charity competition.
The COVID-19 pandemic ensured no offline tournaments would occur in 2021, but the Australian Open partnered with Fortnite anyway. This time to host an official Oceania Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) in Chapter 2 Season 5.
Today, the Australian Open announced the return of the AO Summer Smash on January 30, and ESTNN has all the details regarding this year’s Summer Smash Invitational and open Summer Smash Cup.
AO Summer Smash 2022 Details
Fortnite is back at the @AustralianOpen for the fourth year!
AO Summer Smash Cup
📅 22 & 23 JanAO Summer Smash Invitational
📅 30 JanGrab yourself a duo partner and get ready to compete this weekend! 🏆 #AO2022 #AusOpen
Read more: https://t.co/qMUvY9U6TG pic.twitter.com/VydIabojtQ
— Fortnite ANZ (@FortniteANZ) January 20, 2022
The news arrived via Fortnite’s ANZ Twitter account, covering Australia and New Zealand. According to a press release from the Australian Open, tournament organizers will produce an online duos invitational competition with $100K USD on the line. Some of Australia’s top talents are in the running to compete for a historic AO Summer Smash victory.
While the prize distribution is not available at this time, the press release states, “The prize pool will be evenly split between the winners and a charity of their choice.” We’ll have to see what the format and payout structure looks like as we move closer to January 30. The same applies to what players will receive an invite, but fans can expect the X2Twins, Looter, Oatley, Jynx, Worthy and other top Aussies.
Summer Cup Tournament: Win a Free Skin
New “Summer Smash Cup 2022” Duos Australian Tournament!
“The Summer Smash Cup is open to eligible players of any Arena rank! Hop in for a chance to win cosmetic rewards, with more rewards based on final leaderboard placement. The top 50 duos in Round 1 will advance to Round 2.” pic.twitter.com/mHqtsFB98N
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) January 20, 2022
On top of the Summer Smash Invitational, Epic Games and the Australian Open present the Duos Summer Cup. Open to those in the Oceania region; this online tournament will occur across two days and two rounds on January 22 and 23. The Summer Cup offers players the chance to win a free skin.
Teams that finish inside the top 50 on day one will compete in set lobbies on day two, where top finishers will secure the “Stash’d” cosmetic outfit. Epic has not released the prize distribution for the Summer Cup, but we can expect to learn more soon.
That covers everything we know thus far about the AO Summer Smash 2022 and Summer Cup. Be sure to check back for more information in the weeks leading up to the latest Fortnite x Australian Open competitive experience.
Featured Image: Australian Open
