ESL and Epic Games team up to bring Fortnite to the Intel® Extreme Masters Katowice Expo on February 23-24 and March 1-3, 2019

ESL, the world’s largest esports company, and Epic Games today announced that they are joining forces to bring the game that took the world by storm to ESL’s flagship event. Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice Expo 2019 will host the first-ever ESL Katowice Royale - Featuring Fortnite across two weekends presenting 200 of the world’s best Fortnite players and influencers. A US$ 100,000 prize pool will be up for grabs at the Polish Edition on February 23-24 and players will battle it out for a US$ 500,000 prize pool at the International Edition, taking place on March 1-3, 2019.

The first weekend will feature two days of competitions with the top 100 Polish players and influencers while the second weekend will showcase 100 players from all around the world as they fight for a lion’s share of half a million dollars over three days of competition. Fans who are unable to attend the event onsite can still enjoy the action across various live broadcasts.

“ESL Katowice Royale - Featuring Fortnite will be our first international Fortnite competition and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Sebastian Weishaar, Chief Product Officer at ESL. “Fans from all over the world know our Katowice event and bringing Fortnite as one of the world’s largest games to them feels like a great fit!”

“Fortnite is a global game, and there are amazing, passionate players all around the globe,” added Rob Hodson, Esports Manager at Epic Games. “Partnering with ESL in Katowice gives us the chance to showcase some of these incredible international competitors.”

Furthermore, with a playing area encompassing 100 PCs and 100 PS4s spread over 2,500 m², Fortnite fans are welcomed to the IEM Katowice Expo that will span across two weekends. Not only will fans get to spectate the live events taking place at a big stage, but also participate in the free-to-play area competitions. ESL Katowice Royale - Featuring Fortnite will offer every participant of the free-to-play area the chance to win material prizes worth more than US$ 50,000.

More details about the event and the participating influencers will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can follow ESL Fortnite on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with all news around ESL Katowice Royale - Featuring Fortnite.

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About ESL

ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world's largest independent esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint (www.eslgaming.com).

About Epic Games

Founded in 1991, Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite, Unreal, Gears of War, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade series of games. Epic's Unreal Engine technology brings high-fidelity, interactive experiences to PC, console, mobile, AR, VR and the Web. Unreal Engine is freely available at unrealengine.com. For more information on the studio, visit epicgames.com and check out @EpicGames.