For a second year, the Australian Open Summer Smash is a Fortnite: Battle Royale tournament on the eve of the Australian Open finals. This year, the winner of the prestigious solo tournament is actually a wildcard – an unsigned player going under the moniker of Breso.
How we got there
Even though the Oceania Fortnite scene is fairly minor, the Summer Smash was not an event to be ignored. It has been the biggest event of the year so far and has attracted players from around the globe. Yet, when the smoke cleared, it was not one of some big-name European or American player, but a local hero lifting the trophy.
In the final game, Breso seized the Victory Royale and ended with 52 points. What makes his win that much more impressive is that he is also the first controller player to win a major LAN event. And while the 100,000 AUD will no doubt be a more tangible reward, the bragging rights of being the first will certainly feel good as well. While controller players have won online tournaments before, the keyboard and mouse have reigned supreme in large events.
The others at the top
The runner-up, Looter, is another Oceania player who made his mark competing in the OCE Solo Cash Cups. There were some doubts on whether he could be as good at a LAN event, but last weekend, he proved the naysayers wrong. The vindication must have been sweet, though the 40,000 AUD certainly helped.
Rounding out the top 4 are two international names. The bronze and complimentary 25,000 AUD went to veteran Reza “Symetrical” Ebrahimi Manie. He’s a consistently good North American player who is currently signed on by Counter Logic Gaming. Just behind him, with the same number of points but a worse secondary score, is Emil “nyhrox” Pedersen, one half of the 2019 World Cup duo champions and one of the favorites of the entire event.
What’s next?
With the Summer Smash now over, we are yet to find out what other plans Epic Games has for the year. As the new season will be released on February 20, many insiders expect an announcement about the upcoming tournaments around that time. Meantime, DreamHack will host its own Fortnite LAN tournament on February 21. The event will take place in Anaheim, California, and will have a $250,000 prize pool.
Hopefully, Epic's competitive team will have big news for us soon!
