On May 17, 2026 we hosted the first ever NC Esports Cup and had a tournament featuring Fortnite. We noticed 3 major factors that made a difference for the competitors that will also affect them if they play in an in person competition.
1. Playing at a venue with the other competitors
Most of the time when gamers compete it’s not a LAN (in person competition). It’s completely different when the people you are competing against are there in person and you can hear the excitement happening at the venue vs playing in a competition from home is almost no different than when playing casually. It’s a different environment that helps players get adjusted to the higher level in person competitions.
2. Playing on a PC that wasn’t their own custom built
Players have their own PC and monitor to their desired specs. At the NC Esports Cup they could use their own headset, mouse and keyboard, but they had to use our PCs which can affect performance due to not being familiar with the setup that is at the venue. This is important because they never know what kind of equipment they will have and need to learn how to mentally prepare to deal with whatever setup they are given.
3. Handling pressure of playing in a competition that they had a chance of winning
Most of the competitions put on by Fortnite like the Solos Cup and FNCS, the gamers don’t have a chance of winning. At the NC Esports Cup, half of the teams had a decent chance of winning which came with a $100 VISA gift card for both players. Many players hadn’t dealt with pressure like this before and it was the perfect opportunity for them to learn and experience being in a stressful, competitive situation.
Overall the tournament was a fantastic development experience for the players. They played a total of 6 Battle Royale matches and also got to hear from a panel of esports industry professionals which included:
Jeff Palumbo – Director of Esports at Palmer Hamilton
Chantoni Grant – Esports Director at NC Wesleyan University
Dr. Katie Bartolo – Director at the Carolina Esports Center for Performance Health
Tony Brown – Co-founder of Blackpoint Studios
Two takeaways to improve on for next year:
1. They honestly didn’t care much about the panel so we will be taking that out even though it was beneficial for them.
2. Having 6 matches was a little too much because it was all day which forced some people to leave early and prevented people from 2+ hours away from attending. Next year we will host 4 matches in the afternoon to allow those further away to attend and so it’s not a large strain on the players.
In addition, we will be hosting a Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament as well. The next NC Esports Cup will be on May 15-16, 2027. There will be Super Smash Bros Ultimate on Saturday and featuring Fortnite on Sunday.
