Fortnite Trios event returns after first attempt marred by bugs

Epic Games will run another $1 million Fortnite Trios Cash Cup on July 21 after unforeseen bugs forced last-minute changes to the original event.

Eager participants were all set for battle when developer Epic announced that it had to use default harvesting rates and disable material drops from downed enemies. 

Epic also disabled the Storm Flip item that altered the storm’s position and made for unpredictable moments in the late stages of the game. The company didn’t share the reason for this change.

Some tournament players, such as those playing in European regions, had just 15 minutes of notice prior to play.

It was an unpopular decision by Epic, but the company held firm in its reasoning. A proper fix would have resulted in the tournament’s cancelation, so the altered ruleset was a compromise for those who had their hearts set on competing.

An Epic developer implied that the July 21 tournament would have the proper fixes in place.

“The decision for us to make was between either canceling this week’s tournament, or moving forward with the issues and then running another Trios event next week with the fixes,” Epic said in the same Reddit thread the news broke.

Although this redo should ultimately satisfy those who felt slighted, the fact that the semifinals and grand finals happen on the same day has many still groaning. Successful players could potentially be looking at between six and eight hours of competitive Fortnite gameplay to see it through to the end.

Epic has faced increased criticism for the way it handles changes in competitive Fortnite play. Frequent experimentation and the ensuing hiccups are expected in a genre as new as battle royale. Still, the community around the game feels Epic should spend more time testing changes and give competitive players more time to adjust to them.

In related news, it has also been confirmed that the Arena Trios playlist will persist through the end of Fortnite Season 9. That puts its exit squarely on August 1, so interested players should be sure to enjoy as many games as possible before the calendar turns.