Mike S. May 24, 2019
Daniel “Keemstar” Keem has announced that his popular Friday Fortnite tournament will return next week thanks to funding from FaZe Clan.
Keemstar revealed that there will be at least three new weeks of Friday Fortnite, with the first tournament taking place on May 31. The other two are expected to follow on June 7 and 14, although this has yet to be confirmed. Keemstar himself will be broadcasting the competitions.
$60,000 will be up for grabs over the three weeks of Friday Fortnite, with some of the most popular names in the world of Fortnite competing. The competition is primarily by invitation only, but UMG is holding a qualifier event on May 25 where the winning teams will get a spot in the main Friday Fortnite tournament. Unfortunately for those hoping to take part, the 256-team qualifier is already full, with signups being closed just a matter of minutes after opening.
The $60,000 prize pool is being funded by Ricky “FaZe Banks” Banks, the co-owner of FaZe Clan. The money is, according to FaZe, the amount the organisation made from Turner “Tfue” Tenney, who is currently taking legal action against the organisation while claiming they limited his business opportunities and are in violation of the Talent Agency Act by effectively working as his agent.
As the lawsuit and concurrent war of words between FaZe and Tfue has picked up steam, Keemstar suggested on Twitter that Banks put up the money he made from Tfue as a prize pool for Friday Fortnite.
Banks responded by saying “You have a dea. [sic] FaZe Clan will sponsor the event for $60,000 so we can officially be at $0 total money earned from Tfue. I don't want his money, never [expletive] did. This isn't a joke, run it.”
Friday Fortnite was one of the first major Fortnite tournaments when the battle royale title was just starting to gain in popularity. Top players, YouTubers, and other celebrities were invited to compete in the competition which ran weekly to solid viewer numbers.
Once developer Epic Games started to take control of the main Fortnite esports scene, Keemstar and UMG killed off Friday Fortnite.